Is it Friday yet?

What a week it has been so far ... and it's only Monday!
On Saturday night, after our garage sale, we had the college students over for BBQ. The house started feeling really hot, but we thought it was because we had been in and out all day and our house was full of people. We realized when everyone left that the AC was not working. So we went to bed with the windows open and tried to get some sleep. Around 3:30, I woke up sick as a dog, whatever that means. After it was all over I was completely dehydrated, achy, and had fever for another 24 plus hours. Dr. Munton called in a prescription of phenergan and the nausea finally went away. Sunday was the fourth Mother's Day without my sweet Mama and one full year after the miscarriage of our first baby. I spent the day sleeping in a hot, hot house. On Monday, I was supposed to take my class on field trip to the zoo, but realized that was not going to be possible. Thankfully I found a sub at the last possible hour and spent another day in bed with a terrible dehydration headache. Around 3:00 DJ called Dr. Munton again and he had me come in to his office. Instead of going to my graduation rehearsal, I spent the afternoon getting IV fluids, but oh how much better I feel! The AC man came tonight and $75 dollars later replaced the fuse on the unit. Seriously!? Now we are just waiting to hear from our insurance about our roof. The roofers already came and said the hail demolished it, so we'll just find out what insurance says. We are taking it one day at time, trusting the Lord, and finding the joy in the many blessings we do have. The trials make the good times so much sweeter.

The TRUE meaning of Easter

My friend, Amanda, just shared this video (along with a few others) and I thought it was too good not to share.

I having trouble embeding it so just click on the word video and it will take you directly to the website or you can go to Amanda's blog where the video is embeded already.

Hope you are having a blessed Easter weekend!

The Waiting Game

Well, it's official... I have finished my second Masters degree! Yesterday I had Orals, which is a culmination of everything I have learned. It is definitely a little intimidating to walk into a room of your professors knowing that they have 45 minutes or so to ask you questions about everything you've learned. I finished my Reading Specialist Masters this time last year and I had almost enough classes to finish both degrees, so I did. A few of the classes overlapped, but I wasn't sure if they were going to ask me questions from any of the overlap classes or not. It would have been nice to know that I did not need to study those classes again! Oh well! When I arrived they decided to only ask me questions from my gifted ed. classes (and not to repeat Reading or Research questions), so that cut my orals down to 30 minutes. The 30 minutes flew by very quickly and before I knew it I was done. I felt like I had done well, but the scary part is when they send you out of the room to talk about you and decide whether or not you passed. Last year this part took less than 5 minutes. This year I waited, and waited, and waited. At first I was confident, then I thought I must have failed, then I wanted to cry, and then I waited and waited some more. After 20 minutes, the guy who had Orals after me showed up and we chatted for another 10 minutes or so. Finally, one of my professors came out to see if HE was ready to start his Orals. At that moment I said, "Um... are you going to tell me if I passed or not???" At that moment I could see the realization on her face that they had forgotten about me! She swept me up in a big hug, apologized profusely, and told me that I PASSED! Praise the Lord! They said that when I walked out they all said that I passed and they signed all my paper work, but forgot to call me back into the room. Then they started chatting and simply forgot me. I told them not to worry because it was a great story. I am just relieved to be FINISHED!!! WHOOP!!!

Busy Time

I have so much to be doing, so naturally I am blogging instead! However, I have been absent from my blog for so long I thought I would tell you where I have been. I have spent the last few months diligently working on a literature review about ability grouping (that sounds like great reading doesn't it?!) After I finished 25 pages of research I completed an article on the same topic that I am actually submitting for publication to a real journal! (TEMPO is the official peer-reviewed journal of the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT). If it actually gets published I will definitely let you know!

After that I have been working on preparing for Orals for my 2nd Masters degree (I know I am crazy! I'm really not an over-achiever, it just somehow worked out that I had almost enough credits for 2 masters when I finished the 1st. So I thought, why not?) For this degree, my professor requires that I prepare a gargantuan binder (the binder by itself cost $30!).


The binder has all the competencies for gifted ed, with lots of info on each and then I had to write a 3 page synthesis for each competency. I finally finished that last night and now I have exactly one week to prepare for Orals! On that note, I better go study, but I plan to be back after April 7 showing you pictures of how I refinished my kitchen table.

Crazy week

This has been a crazy week (as I'm sure you have experienced as well). On Monday we had the most beautiful, spring-like 75 degree day. Then Monday night we had rain, hail, thunder/lightning, crazy ice and then 6-10 inches of snow! We spent the rest of the week "camping out{" in our living room, cause that's what we do for fun - watching movies and snuggling. We ended up having FOUR days off of school because the roads were so bad. The roads had at least 6 inches of packed ice - I'm talking skating rink style. I have never in my life (that I recall) experienced wind chills in the negatives in Texas, but I finally experienced it this week. Wow! Rollie loved the snow so I thought I'd share a picture of his joy.


And just for fun here is a picture of DJ loving life. Our good friends had baby number 4 this week and they finally got a boy! Congratulations Tim and Kara!

Antique Vanity Redo

Before:


My grandmother has been holding onto her grandmother's bedroom suite. Originally my mom was going to refinish it, but when she passed away I inherited it. About 6-7 years ago I refinished the headboard of this set. Recently I noticed on different blogs how people had taken apart vanities to make two individual bedside tables. The vanity was in a little disrepair, so I asked DJ what he thought about helping to take this one apart. He had to do a little bit of work on the pieces including adding new bottoms to both tables and a fourth leg to each table because they each had only three legs.

AFTER:

A Baby Changes Everything

This is the week our sweet baby was due to be born. When we found out we were pregnant we were so excited that we would have a new addition to our family to celebrate this Christmas.

A friend of mine invited me to the come to the Living Christmas Tree at her church this weekend. When she gave me the ticket it read, "A Baby Changes Everything."

Tonight at church we had a women's banquet. The speaker had a lot of great things to say, but one in particular was how Mary Magdalene waited on Jesus. She talked about all the different times she waited and then applied it to us and reminded us to wait on Jesus. She mentioned that many of the women in the room were waiting on something whether it be a baby, a spouse, a family member or a friend... Jesus reminds us to sit at his feet and wait on him.

It has been these subtle reminders this week that make our baby waiting hard.

On top of that, since the miscarriage I have had issues with my cycle. After almost 9 months of issues and many different treatments from the doctor, he decided to do a hydrosonogram to see if I had any irregularities in my uterus. The results of the sonogram were inconclusive (although painful), so he has decided to do a hysteroscopy on Friday, December 17. I will have to go under anesthesia for this procedure so that he can use a small camera to look at the inside of my uterus. This will be done to find out the cause of all the abnormal bleeding, which could possibly be polyps or fibroids. He also mentioned that my uterus is out of balance and that he will scrap the endometrium to help shed some of the extra-thick lining on my uterus. I have 2 pre-op appointments on Wednesday next week and then I will have the procedure on Friday.
We left this appointment extremely hopeful. My doctor is hopeful that this may help with our fertility issues and we are excited for what the Lord has in store.

It is interesting to go back through this hopeful feeling again. As you can imagine, after 3 years of trying, the loss of our baby, and then 9 months of bleeding, we were feeling a little discouraged; however, at the same time we have also been getting very interested in adoption. We do not yet know what Lord's will for us in regards to children, but we are hopeful.

I am reminded at this special time of year, during this season of waiting on a baby, that the baby we are waiting on is actually our Lord, born as a baby, died, resurrected and living in Heaven. We anxiously await the return of our Lord and we find hope in Him alone during all the trials of life.

I hope that you too are also awaiting the celebration of the birth of our Saviour. During this busy time of year, we sometimes need to be reminded to just wait on Jesus.

Merry Christmas Y'all!

Wanting, Wishing, and Waiting

I'm sorry that it has been so long since I have written regularly. It has been a busy season for us most definitely. Between our jobs, working on graduate degrees, and serving in the college ministry at church, we haven't had much extra time for anything else. However, as the semester comes to a close I am feeling like I have accomplished a great deal and I am slowly but surely going to make it. The biggest relief has been that my professor suggested that I take an incomplete in my independent study class so that I don't stress myself out trying to get everything finished right now. This means that I have a little extra time to finish my 25 page literature review (where I review all the the research I can on "Ability Grouping") and then create my article (which is intended for actual publication!), and then finally create a presentation (which I will hopefully present at the Texas Association for the GIfted and Talented annual conference next fall).

In addition to all of this, DJ and I have continued to struggle to begin our family. It has definitely been a struggle each month over the past three years to find out we still are not pregnant. We have felt for a while that both of our hearts are bent towards adoption, but just haven't felt that it was the Lord's timing just yet. All that to say, the Lord is definitely working in our hearts in this area. We have slowly begun to research everything that this entails and pray that they Lord would lead us where He desires. At this point, we are thinking that we may begin the adoption process sometime in the next year or so. It is definitely a big decision, especially since it requires so much financially. The hard part is knowing that I have such great insurance that would completely cover my own pregnancy, but trusting the Lord as He leads us into a process that might cost $20,000. Our human nature wants to think of these huge costs and wonder how we could afford that, but we know God is in complete control. At this point, we are working on beginning to position ourselves financially to make all of this possible. It is very exciting and also a little overwhelming all at the same time.

I know that the Lord has an awesome purpose for everything He is doing and we continue to wait patiently and trust daily that He will lead us toward His will. Thank you for praying for our family as we tread these unchartered waters, whichever way the Lord may lead.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven - Ecclesiastes 3:1

Publisher's Clearing House Costume

We had DJ's students over last night for a costume party. It was a blast although I think our costume would have gone over better with an older crowd. :) Too funny!

Teaching is truly a calling

Can I just say that I love my job?! I think that everyone should get up each morning and do what they love. It is an all- consuming, life-changing kind of job, but the countless extra hours are completely worth it to me as I work at making a difference in the future of tomorrow.

But can I just tell you how discouraged I get when I hear people talking negatively about their child's teacher?! I realize that there are some teachers that do not passionately pursue their jobs in the manner it requires; however, most people have NO CLUE the amount of time, effort, stress, love and care that goes into teaching.

Can I just be honest?

Parents are the hardest part of my job.

I love each of my children as if they were my own. I work extremely hard and often times parents can make it feel as if you are doing the most horrific job ever. 90% of the parents I have dealt with in my 8 years of teaching are fabulous, but the few who are critical and mean make my job a nightmare at times.

All this to say, please encourage your child's teachers. Remember when you are feeling critical of something that they are doing that you are only seeing a very small piece of what is going on. Always be willing to talk and listen BEFORE you take it to the principal. Nothing is more frustrating than finding out a parent is upset when they never spoke with me about it first. Always step back and remember what an underpaid, thankless job teaching is and try to notice the good things your child's teacher is doing... and tell them!

I am not saying this because of anything I have had to deal with recently. I just want to lovingly send out this reminder because I think it is easy to get critical and speak negatively, but we have no idea what might be going on in someone else's world. One example of this occurred a few years ago when I had to put my mom into hospice care. I arrived back to school after a very difficult weekend (and months of turmoil) only to find a very upset parent (who had never spoken with me previously about their concerns). This parent had no idea what was going on in my personal life, but became extremely critical for something that was completely out of my control.

That is just one small example... thankfully I have an amazing principal who was quick to back me up... but it definitely struck me in a very personal way during a time when I felt my lowest.

Love on your teachers... shine Christ to them even when they don't deserve it. We all make mistakes. (And by all means do NOT bad-mouth them publicly. This only makes you look bad.)

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12

Being Content

I just read this post over at Simple Notebook and it was exactly what I needed to remind myself right now. She often has great ideas for simplifying -I think we try to make things a little too hard on our ourselves sometimes! I thought that I would share it with you, in case any of you need a little encouragement right about now (or just practical tips - she's great for that too!)

My life still feels full to the brim, but I am just bitting off small pieces at a time and trusting the Lord.

The Biggest Loser!

At the beginning of August, DJ and I decided to compete against each other for our own version of "The Biggest Loser." The contest goes from August to Christmas and the person who loses the most gets to spend $500 however she chooses. I say she because I am pretty sure that I am going to win, but I hope that my confidence inspires my husband to persevere. :-) His busy schedule makes it hard for him to find time to exercise and often means that he grabs a meal on the go, especially over lunch or while he is on the road traveling with one of his teams. However, we are working hard to pack our lunches and just make healthier choices overall. I have been working out at the Y since March with my friend, Libby, and I have lost 11 lbs so far (5 lbs since the start of our contest)! Hopefully, we can make this a lifestyle change! I will keep you posted on our progress and you can help hold us accountable! :)

Perfectionism... Where did you come from?!

I sit listening to my husband make sweet sleep sounds (that's what we call it in my house... ). I am not sure where to start because it has been so long since I have blogged. This has been a season of challenges for me. Satan is telling me that I am failing in so many ways and he is hitting me with lies about how I need to work towards perfection. Why am I struggling with perfectionism?! I have never struggled with this in my life! I have always been more of an underachiever... (As a kid, I was content not studying and making the B. Sometimes I wonder what I could have done had I actually applied myself!)

I am feeling overwhelmed with life... like I have too many irons in the fire, but I am not sure what I can cut out. My first desire is to take care of my home and glorify the Lord as a wife. It is in these areas especially that I am really beating myself up, as if I can't quite reach perfection. The dog hair is driving me crazy, but I just can't find the time to vacuum daily, like I need to with a long haired dog in the summer...this seems so trivial, but it is just one of the little things driving me crazy!

In addition, I am overwhelmed with the desire to be an amazing teacher (which is a daunting task at best). Grad school has been an awesome learning opportunity, but I often find myself feeling inadequate in the impossible task of teaching. I say impossible because to be the teacher I want to be requires countless extra hours of work, but my desire to put my home first directly conflicts these crazy hours.

In addition, I am so close to finishing my second masters, but sometimes wonder if it is worth it.

We also love our church and the service God has called us to there. College ministry is definitely very stretching for me, but I know that God has called us there for a purpose. I love serving in the preschool ministry as well, but sometimes wonder if I haven't stretched myself too thin.

All this to say that I am working on organizing my time so that I can be a better steward of the things of which the Lord has entrusted me. It seems that the theme of my life is always reliance on the Lord. For years, when people ask, "What is the Lord teaching you right now?"... my answer continues to be "to rely on Him." I HAVE to rely on Him COMPLETELY in order to make it through this life. I must trust in the Lord with all my heart, and lean not on my own understanding. I just wish that I would learn this lesson and apply it ALL the time so that I can be all that He desires.

Murder Mystery Dinner Party

I completely forgot to post these pictures! We hosted a Murder Mystery Dinner Party for the college students just before Threshold began. It was a blast! DJ completely got into his character (trash 'stash and all- which by the way was shaved the next day). Enjoy!

Highlights of our Trip to Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and NYC

Our favorite part of the trip was going to the Pennsylvania Amish country.
DJ had to eat here...


This was the B&B he surprised me with. It was originally owned by William Penn. Most recently it was a test farm for New Holland, whose headquarters are just down the road.
We would totally recommend it... it was beautiful and the food was amazing!



We were able to see most of the sites from National Treasure



Duck Tour through the streets of Philly and then on the Delaware River



Phillies Game


We left Philly and headed to NJ for my nephew's high school graduation.
These are my sister's kids, Lyndsie, Myles, and Skyler. (love them!)


My sister, Rhonda, and my nephew, Myles


This was a really neat restaurant at Liberty State Park, overlooking the Statue of Liberty



My niece, Lyndsie and I, at the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center)



My sister started calling DJ "Crocodile Dundee" because he was saying "Howdy" and talking to everyone on the streets of the city. This was taken in Little Italy at a great outdoor restaurant.


This was a hilarious moment...I wish I had video. DJ bought their CD and made some new friends... we have yet to listen to it...doubt we ever will.


We had a great time!