20 questions

I saw these questions on my friend Amanda's blog and decided it might be fun since I haven't made time to blog lately.

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while your blogging?

I am not a big snacker, but lately I have had trouble resisting the mini snickers in the bowl on my kitchen table for the munchkins who ring my doorbell on Saturday evening!

2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without?
The obvious answers... my Bible ... my husband

Day-to-day things...my hair straightener
3. Beach, Mountains, or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?
not the beach... probably a farm...

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?
dusting the blinds!

5. Who do people say you remind them of?
I used to hear Punky Brewster when I was little...recently though when I see pictures of myself I see my mom
6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying home with the fam?
both

7. What's your all time favorite movie?
probably A Walk in the Clouds or You've Got Mail

8. Do you sleep in your make-up or remove it like a good little girl every night?
I hate to admit it... but I sleep in my make-up most of the time... always have... I know it is terrible... please don't judge me :)
9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?
I used to sew with my mom, but I would like to take this up again... maybe take some sewing classes to refresh my memory...

10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?
gaging...people love to make me do this... I hate it!

11. What first attracted you to your spouse?
We talked on the phone before we ever met on a blind date... we got a long really well and he made me laugh... now we just say we're two peas in a pod

12. What is something you love to smell?
Hugo Red Perfume (but I am all out... Hint hint Darrell Jon! :)

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.
I have been called "too nice" a time or two, but I say there is no such thing! :)

14. When you have extra money, what's the first thing you think to do with it?
eat out

15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?
Lately I have developed a snort... have no idea why

16. Where is your favorite place to shop?
Before I moved to Abilene it was Banana Republic and Ann Taylor Loft, but in Abilene since there aren't many clothing places, my favorite places to shop are the cute little antique shops around town
17. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time?
continue fixing up our house... next on the to-do list:

finish trim on kitchen counters, texture entry way and paint,put down wood floors, replace living room/dining room baseboards, paint exterior, landscaping,organize garage, etc...

18. Are you a big spender or frugal?
uh... neither... but lately we are struggling to eat out less

19. Who is your favorite character of all time?
Movie - Meg Ryan in "You've Got Mail"

Book - Amanda (main character in Redeeming Love)

Cartoon - Papa Smurf

Animated Movie - Ariel in The Little Mermaid
20. Would you want to be famous?
no thanks
What are some or all of your answers?

Faith like a Child

I love it when a student encourages me to love Jesus more. There is a precious child (I'll call him Cam) who comes to my classroom most mornings because he wants to sharpen pencils. It is amazing that he actually wants to do this, because I hate sharpening pencils (but I am so thankful that somebody else wants to!). This sweet child loves the Lord and it is so neat to watch Cam shine Christ to the other kids.

Sometimes another student (I'll call him Cade) comes to help sharpen as well. One day Cade asked me what church I go to. He also said that his family does not go to church but that he wants to go. I knew that Cam's family is active in a church and that Cam would love to take Cade to church with him. So I mentioned to Cade that he might want to ask Cam if he could go to church with him sometime.

I am not kidding, the very next morning Cade and Cam were both in my classroom and I overhear Cade asking Cam about his church. Sweet little Cam went on and on about the things that he loves about his church and Cade was genuinely interested. What a precious moment for me to know that God was at work in my classroom (of course he always is, but today it was so obvious!). I have been praying for opportunities to shine Christ to my kids and what a neat way that the Lord allowed me direct a student to another student who could openly share with him.

I hope I haven't confused you with all the C's... I know I have confused myself since these aren't really their names! :)

A Camera Crew, Balloons, and a Three-Foot Check!

I was eating lunch in another teacher's classroom today when my principal walked in and asked, "Andrea, how long are you going to be here?" I said, "In my life?" thinking he meant how many more years...Stupid response I know, that was just my first thought. I almost started explaining all the different possibilities until he laughed and said, "No, I mean today. How much longer are you going to be in this room right now?" "OH!!! About 10 minutes!" "Ok, don't go anywhere!"

So then all the other teachers started speculating about what I was waiting for...

One teacher said, "Is the news here?" and he said, "I don't know...maybe."

So that's how the surprise was spoiled a smidge. I don't think I was quite as excited had I been if I had been caught totally off guard, but it was still so much fun when the camera crew walked in along with about 8-10 people carrying a 3 foot check and a dozen balloons or so.

They told me that I had received a STAR Teacher Grant!

Yea, I am getting a CPS Chalkboard! The woman holds up the microphone and asks what I am going to get with my grant. I say something really stupid about how I am getting a CPS Chalkboard, which is an interactive technology that allows my students to see the internet and powerpoint from anywhere in the room. What a dork! I made it sound like the silliest purchase ever! I promise that this technology is amazing and completely transformed my classroom last year when I was blessed to use it for half of the year. Hopefully, my "interview" does not show up on the evening news anytime soon!

Oh, well! I am so thankful to the Abilene Education Foundation for the opportunity to use technology to transform my classroom! Thank you so much!

What is Children's Literature?

Since I made the decision to finish a second masters degree I have had a few moments where I want to turn back. I am still planning to finish but I have definitely bitten off more than a mouthful. Originally when I met with my advisor, I found out that I was only lacking a few classes for the second degree, so it seemed obvious that I should finish. Since I needed a few electives I started looking through the classes being offered this semester and found a children's lit. class. I had actually already taken this class from a different prof but the class is a requirement for both of my degrees and I thought it might be interesting to take it again with a different prof since the topic is so relevant to what I do daily. My advisor loved this idea but said that she would title the class Practicum in Gifted Children's Literature and talk to the professor about having my requirements be a little different so that it would fit perfectly into my degree in gifted education. Somehow this "great" idea has morphed into something much bigger... I am now the graduate assistant for the class, which includes teaching a little, as well as monitoring and grading all of the discussion board posts. In addition, I have many other additional requirements like writing a few articles intended for future publication in an education journal. Of course all of these things are wonderful opportunities, but I am a smidge overwhelmed with all of the things on my plate right now. I must go so that I can grade the mound of papers I brought home for the weekend and create my presentation on Children's and Young Adult Literature for our first night of class next weekend.

Rollie, now and then...and a little Duke

Just for fun, here is a pic of the Bush's Baked Beans dog, Duke...everyone says that Rollie looks like him...

Here are some pictures of Rollie...

Our puppy is growing up.

Here he is when we brought him home in April at about 8 weeks old...

Here he is today at 7 months old...

And here is one more of him at about 8 weeks...
I can't believe how fast he has grown!

Opportunity to pray for my students...

I began this post a few weeks ago, but am just now getting around to posting it today.

This morning was interesting...to say the least, but let me back up and start from the beginning.

Rewind to Thursday morning...

One of my precious students came in very excited with a note asking me to attend her baptism this weekend. Of course I was excited too and told her I would love to try and come. The note said to call her mom for directions if I could make it. So I talked to her mom later that day, told her that I would love to come, and asked what church they went to.

Her response was, "Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints." And then she paused and waited for my response, like she knew I wouldn't want to come after all.

I have to admit I definitely panicked a little. My first thought was, "Oh, no! What do I do!?"

So I got home that night and had some serious discussions with DJ about it for the next 2 days. We sought wise council and came to the conclusion that I should go since I had told her that I would.

This brought on a little nervousness on my part because I knew DJ had to work and I would be going alone. I had heard of people visiting Mormon temples for tours after the temple was built and then heard how the church would destroy all carpet, repaint and replace everything after the tours and then the temple would be closed to the public forever. DJ also had an event in high school held at a Mormon church and he had to enter through a certain door. They were only allowed in a certain part of the building. Knowing all this, I wanted to be respectful in spite of my differences in beliefs. I researched on the internet to learn a little more of what to expect and what would be a appropriate to wear. I talked to a dear friend who has had experience with ministry to Mormons and felt comforted.

So this morning I arrived at their church in my Sunday best, knowing that the ladies traditionally wear skirts to church. At first only 3 cars were parked in the back of the church because I was very early... so I drove around the neighborhood a little while returned to a few more cars in the lot. I waited a moment for someone else to arrive so that I could go in through the appropriate door. My sweet student was so happy that I was there and everyone was so nice, of course. The ceremony was deceivingly very similar to what I am used to. I listened very carefully because I knew that they claim to be Christians, but I also knew that they don't believe what I know to be truth. I can understand how people get sucked into the believing that this is truth because they make it seem so similar to Christianity but when you look closely it is so very different. One interesting part was a video that they played about Joseph Smith. The video very clearly explained why "other religions are wrong" and how Joseph Smith, as a boy began to question the Christian faith and the differences in denominations. From what I understood, he believed that God told him that he should not take part in any of the denominations and thus the birth of Mormonism took place.

Overall this was definitely a great learning experience and I am now so burdened for this sweet little girl. I know that she has been placed in my room for a purpose and I will just continue to pray daily that I shine Christ to each of my students.

Busy, busy day!

I'm doing the best I can, but man I feel like a chicken with my head cut off sometimes. Today I worked on a grant that I had been writing for school. Last year I had a student in my classroom who is visually impaired. Since he was unable to see the overhead projector or board I had to find a different way to meet his needs and everyone else in the class. I found something called a CPS Chalkboard. It is an interactive board that allows me to stand anywhere in the room and write on a small wireless board that I carry. My visually impaired student had his own personal computer at his desk. The monitor was placed close enough so that he could see everything on the screen. The rest of the class could see everything projected on the large screen. This technology traveled on with this student to his next classroom, so now I am writing a grant so that I can have a CPS Chalkboard in my classroom all the time.

While finishing up my grant, I also talked to my grad school adviser a few times today because I figured out that I am pretty close to having enough classes for a second masters degree. I have been working on my masters as a reading specialist. Each semester I have to take 6 hours but many times they have only been offering one class that applies towards my degree...so I have also taken quite a few extra classes in the gifted education program. I talked to my advisor today and found out that it is totally worth it for me to finish a second masters in gifted education. Am I crazy!? :)

Meanwhile, I have been training the 4th grade teachers to use the CPS Chalkboard and troubleshooting technology problems for them. Then I ran to the district office to submit my grant proposal, ran to Hardin-Simmons to take care of grad-school registration, and then headed back to my classroom to actually finish preparing for the first day of school on Monday! Since I didn't get much done in my classroom today, I will be headed back up there early Saturday morning and maybe even Sunday afternoon...we shall see...

What a weekend!

What a weekend! On Friday night I found out that my friend, Libby, is being moved to teach 4th grade instead of 3rd, so she officially has one week to move her entire classroom.

On Saturday Libby, Crissy and I spent the day taking a family from our school to visit their child (one of our students) in a foster home about 2 hours from here. The child we visited is doing really well and our visit went really well. We took them to Walmart and let her pick out a new outfit and some shoes, then we went to lunch and a movie. The ride home was interesting, to say the least, I wish I could share more details. I'll just say that this is definitely a family to pray for. We did have an opportunity for good conversation with the mama on the way home. I had a small opportunity to share hope about my mom's mental illness and give here a glimpse into some of the same struggles in my life, but the Hope that pulled me through. She desires so much to be "normal," I hope she got a glimpse of God's faithfulness in my life in spite of mental illness in my mother.

On Sunday we all went and helped Libby get her classroom moved. Her room is coming together but it was so bitter sweet for me today. I am SOOO disappointed to loose her on my team and I know the changes have been hard for her as well. She will do an amazing job, and I know that God has a purpose for where He has placed her... we are just trying to trust that.

Fun Times

I always knew that my best friends are great, but I was reminded of how fabulous they are this weekend. We took a quick trip to Dallas because it is our last weekend before DJ begins working 7 days a week for football season. On Friday night we had a fun dinner at Joe's Crab Shack with DJ's best friend, Rusty. DJ had his first experience with crab and we had a lot of fun catching up. Then DJ and I stayed in a nice hotel and caught up on our Food Network addiction. We slept in on Saturday, ate lunch at a fun eatery featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives (Twisted Root), and got in some shopping in stores that we don't get to visit that often living in Abilene. IKEA was crazy! I felt like we were going to Disney World on the busiest day of the year... I guess we should have thought about all the college students who are trying to get ready to head back to school! Then last night we had a fun dinner with two of my college roommates and their families. Even though I had spent time with them a few weeks ago, I quickly remembered how nice it is to be with people who truly know us. It is just so easy... what a great feeling... no formalities, or small talk...we just go right back to where we left off, like we still live together and see each daily. What a blessing! Thank the Lord for good friends who know me well and love me anyway! ;)

Architecture Around the World

I feel a little bit like crying because I have finally finished a very busy summer. It is July 24th and my summer officially begins today! The past two weeks have been very tiring and difficult, but also full of growth. I have been teaching architecture to kindergarten and first graders in a program for gifted learners at Hardin-Simmons. I co-taught with a good friend who is an amazing teacher. We began creating our curriculum in April and continued to tweak it throughout the two weeks. We took a tour of architecture around the world this week. DJ created AMAZING "passports" for my "architectural explorers." I don't think I can really do them justice by describing them here, but let me just say that graphic design is definitely his specialty. On our tour we explored The White House, castles, bridges, towers, and future architecture of the world. I have so many funny stories, but I can't share too much here because of privacy issues. What a bummer! This journey has been so exhausting and difficult, but also very rewarding. Today I was offered to continue this job next summer...at the beginning of the two weeks, after all the hours and hours of work, I told DJ not to let me do this again, but now that it is all over I am so torn because it really is an great opportunity. I would love to just relax next summer without any major plans, but I also hate to turn down this opportunity... decisions...decisions!

Good-bye Lake House

Well it looks like we may have finally sold the lake house.  We have been trying to sell it for the past two years and every offer has fallen through.  This one looks like it may work... they have had the inspection, come back with their counter offer, and we officially accepted today!  We are supposed to close on Friday, so we will have to go down on Thursday and finish cleaning out a few closets and the shed.  My mom was an accountant, so we have at least 20 or 30 boxes full of other people's financial documents that we have to figure out how to dispose of.  We have thought about burning it or finding one of those companies that we can pay to come shred it...if anyone has any helpful suggestions, bring it on!  

I am really glad to be rid of the financial burden of an extra house payment, but it will also be sad to see it go.  My mom LOVED it out there and I have a lot of great memories of time spent with her out there.  We loved to BBQ and then sit out on the deck over looking the lake.  We also made tons of s'mores in the fire pit with my niece and nephews and their Grandy.  When I would come home from college, Mom and I would rent movie after movie at the teeny little video rental place and I can't forget the Labamba and When Harry Met Sally tapes that we watched over and over.  It feels a little bit like my last tangible piece of my mom will be gone when we sell it, but I know I will get to see her again one day.  

Thank you Lord for the amazing blessing that my mom was and is to me... thank you for her constant example of selflessness.  Thank you for providing a buyer for the house in your timing.  We love and we trust you. In Jesus name, Amen  

DJ left for Outdoor Education Camp today and I am pretty sad that he'll be gone for two weeks. So after church I decided that it was a pretty day so I took Rollie to the park for a walk. I got about half way around the park and noticed that I no longer had my key to my car. I practically had to drag Rollie around the park searching for the key because he was worn out. Never found the key... so about an hour after DJ arrived in Brownwood he turned around and rescued us from the park. What a great man... I sat in the park and cried because I felt so bad that he had to come back to save me, but my fabulous husband was so sweet about it... didn't even seem to mind. So I spent about 15 minutes with him and then he had to turn around and head back to Lake Brownwood. :(

What a mess!

We officially have new floors in the kitchen, laundry room and hall way... and they look great, but now I want to change the color of the cabinets!  So I spent the day testing out colors and now my kitchen is an even bigger mess!!!  The man comes tomorrow to install our new cooktop ... the trim will be finished tomorrow... and hopefully we will get our kitchen sink back.  Tonight we grilled chicken outside but I wouldn't let DJ wash the chicken in the bathroom sink so we used the hose!  Wow, I'm not sure which is worse!  And then we rinsed the dishes in the backyard and stuck them in the dishwasher... which still is not connected.  Our living room is full of all our dishes, kitchen table and pots and pans.  I can't wait to get my house back!  I never thought I would say that I am sick of eating out, but I am also not too fond of doing the dishes in the back yard!  Hopefully a home cooked meal will be coming soon!

Meet our new puppy, Rollie!

I received two emails of note today. One email sent this video:
"This is a speech that a 12 year old girl gave about abortion. She is wise beyond her years."

Another good friend, who works for a Christian Pregnancy Clinic, had this response and it was so insightful I thought I should share it:

oh boy! I just have to respond b/c I'm engulfed with this issue day in and day out. A newer conviction I've come to realize is that speeches like this are ineffective, or fruitless. This is a flaw in the pro-life movement. To say that abortion is wrong and it takes away the rights of the unborn is stating the obvious (although of course 100% true.) I don't feel like our role as Christians needs to be the one who continues to state this to people; instead, I strongly feel like the role of Christians is to start providing solutions for women facing unplanned pregnancies. Majority of women who choose abortion feel as though she has no other choice. What if we started telling her that she did have another choice? This girl's argument to simply make abortion illegal isn't a solution to this problem. Research shows (from Planned Parenthood) that the top 2 reason women choose abortion are lack of practical resources and lack of emotional support. Until we (Christians specifically) can start providing those 2 specific needs for women facing unplanned pregnancies, abortion will always be a viable option for women. From our research at Caris, in addition to not having practical resources and emotional support, when a women finds out she is unexpectedly pregnant, it is equivalent to telling her she has been diagnosed with a terminal cancer. Trying to convince her that her baby has rights and should therefore live is like speaking another language to her that she cannot understand in the deep state of shock that she is in. However, through in-depth counseling and on-going care, she can come to see that with the support of others who are willing to stand by her, she canindeed choose parenting or adoption. How empowering for her! The other thing that really bugs me about speeches like this is that her argument makes the women, the mother, the enemy in the situation. Like I said, most women don't want to have an abortion, but they feel as though they have no other choice. The women convinces herself that ending the life of her baby is a better option than trying to parent or adopt. She's not thinking logically b/c of the state of shock she is in. She, above everyone else, wants to protect the innocent baby. All this to say, if we want to see the tide of abortion change in our country, there are very practical things we should be doing. My suggestion of the top three are:1) support your local pregnancy clinic! However, ensure that the organization is providing professional, Christian counseling and that women are being treated with dignity and respect at all times (no scare tactics, manipulation, etc.)2) support legislation that enforces counseling before an abortion can be performed. A woman can go to PP right now and not get any counseling before making a life-changing, irreversible decision. That is absurd. Also, I think it would be extremely effective if there was a mandatory waiting time after she finds out she's pregnant and before she makes her decision. 3) Educate Christians to start providing solutions (like 1 & 2). The abortion issue is solvable. Churches should be working with local pregnancies clinics, mentoring these young moms, and building bridges between the pregnant women and the church. And Christians need to be encouraged to start being pro-active rather than just speaking out, protesting, etc... If you're still reading, thanks :) I just can't watch something like that and not share with you what I know about this issue. I swim in these waters ever day! God has not only stirred up a passion in me to help women facing unplanned pregnancies, it's more like a roaring tidal wave! I have talked to countless women who have been in this situation, and trust me, she is not the enemy. She just needs to be empowered and deeply cared for. I seriously could go on, but I won't :) Don't feel like you have to respond! Just my thoughts here...