My life has pretty much been non-stop busy for the last two months (hence no updates since the end of August). I have a few minutes, so here goes the update:
Work:
As mentioned in the last update, I am teaching 4 year old kindergarten. I love my job at times, and sometimes I feel like I'm in over my head. I completed a week and a day of training and now I have about a million things that have to get done to my room. Of course, any time you learn something new you are expected to implement it at work. Seems to me that everyone is more worried about the legalities and the room environment than actually getting these kids TAUGHT something!? Hehe, oh well.... what has to be done will be done. Other than that, I love all of the people I work with, I feel very blessed that God put me in a work enviroment with such patient, kind, helpful people!
Clemson:
WAHOO! Fall is such a fun time for any clemson fan... FOOTBALL season is here! Our record as of today stands at 5-1, and we are currently the #12 team in the nation-- GO TIGERS! I have gotten the chance to go to 2 away games so far this year. I had a blast at Florida State... the tigers won a very close game, and I've NEVER seen the fans so jacked up before, it was loud and SO much fun. Just yesterday I went to Wiston Salem to watch the boys play Wake Forest. It was certainly a different atmosphere than Clemson or FSU because Wake's stadium is so small. For 3 quarters Clemson quite simply got their tails whipped. My family and I were just about ready to leave at the end of the 3rd quarter when the score was 17-3 Wake. We decided to stay, however, and I sure am glad we did. In the fourth quarter the tigers rallied by blocking and returning a field goal attempt for a TD, intercepting a pass that lead to a TD, and C.J. Spiller showing his speed with a 72 yard run for a TD. The 24-point 4th quarter led to a final score of 27-17 Clemson win! Wahoooo!!! We have Temple this Thursday (let's hope we blow that one away as we should) and then what looks like it's going to be a battle with Georgia Tech in a couple weeks. Here's hoping the Tigers keep playing well and pull the big games out!
One year:
David and I celebrated our anniversary of dating this weekend :) We exchanged gifts and went out for a very nice dinner downtown at Soby's. While we were at Soby's I noticed a lot of girls from my high school working and eating there. It was good to catch up with one of them that was our waitress. After Soby's we spent some time walking around downtown and relaxing by the river, and then got icecream (which I hate, by the way... ha, riiiight) at Spill The Beans. I had a wonderful time, it was the most fun :)! To David- thank you so much for everything! I love you very much baby.. happy anniversary!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
My Advice To Future Teachers
I am writing this at the end of my third week of teaching. I don't even need to tell you that I in no way proclaim to know even a smidge of all there is to know about teaching. I can't give much advice to teachers in general, because most have had more experience than I have. What I can do is give advice to those who are thinking about becoming a teacher, or those who are now in college working towards it. Some of this you may know, some of it may seem like common sense, but all of it comes from my experiences.
1. Do not go into teaching for the money: Just in case you haven't joined the real world yet and don't know-- teachers are grossly underpaid. Professional athletes, doctors, and lawyers can make millions, but the ones who teach them how to read and write and add make barely enough to support themselves in this expensive soceity. In short... if you're going to teach, do it because you have a passion for it. Teaching might pay the bills, but you're neither going to have the time, energy, or funds to do much beyond that.
2. This is not a "leave work at work" kind of job: If you are looking for a job where you can go to work, work hard, and then leave and not think about it again until the next day, don't teach. Teaching requires much more time and energy than just what is spent during the school day. I have heard that the more you teach, the easier it gets. I am sure that is true. As for my experience at the moment, most of my time is spent on school-related matters. A typical day for me is: get up at five, get dressed and eat, leave by 6:40 am, get to school and teach, leave school by 4 or 4:30, get home at 5, work on preparing lessons until dinner, work on preparing lessons after dinner until 10 or 11, sleep. As you can see, not a whole lot of time for fun stuff. I wont sugarcoat it, it's hard. Just be prepared to work hard, but it does pay off in the end.
3. Remain calm: That sounds like a suggestion for an emergency situation. Well, it is. Let's face it, stuff happens. You can never possibly know what might happen in the classroom until it does. As the teacher, you have to be calm about anything that happens. Long story short, if you freak out your kids are going to freak out too. On the other hand, if you stay calm there is a much better chance that your kids will. I actually had a lesson in this very topic today. As I was teaching in a center, I see my assistant with a somewhat startled look on her face mouthing for me to come to the back of the room. When I get to the back, she tells me to look in the sink. When I finally look in the right sink, there is a just born baby hamster laying in the sink. I have two hamster that are supposedly not pregnant and both girls. I am so shocked as I look and see that 5 baby hamsters have been born. Let's just say baby hamster are not "cute" Hairless and pink and tiny aren't right up my ally. Anyway, as much as I wanted to flip out and run out of the room, I didn't. If I had done that it would have set my kids into a tailspin. I had to figure out what to do first, and then adress the students about what had happened. This made it a learning experience instead of a wild classroom moment.
3. Be consistent with discipline: If you haven't learned already, classroom management and discipline are the hardest parts of teaching (at least for most people). Yelling and screaming are not necessary. To be a good classroom manager, all you really need to do is by consistent. That is so much easier said than done. I struggle with this more than any other thing. It is SO easy to get onto the "bad kid's" case big time. If you do that, however, you have to do the same to the kid who is usually perfect but made a bad mistake. Believe me, you'll wanna let this kid slide. Seems easy enough to be consistent, but it's really tough. I promise that it's the key to running and classroo
4. Relish in the victories: Teaching is so hard and so rewarding at the same time. You have to dwell on the small victories rather than the many failures. Think about the fact that you helped a child learn to tie their shoe for the first time or read their first book instead of the fact that one lesson you taught was a flop. The failures are going to happen, they're inevitable. Instead of dwelling on them, learn from them.
5. Captivate your audience: This is especially for teachers of younger children. It is essential to make what you are teaching interesting. Children have a short attention span as it is. If you are bored by what you're teaching, your kids will be even more bored. It pays to find an interesting, creative way to teach even the most dull topic.
6. Plan for way more than you ever think you can fit into a day: This is probably one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give. In my 4k class (and really for any age) any lag time in the class is a death sentence. The minute my kids notice that there is not something for them to do, they will spin out of control. Therefore, it is important for me to have more than enough activities for them to keep busy with. I would much rather not get to everything I planned than have a lot of extra time.
I hope this gives some kind of insight into teaching. I learn something new everyday, so I am sure that there will be things to add. Feel free to post any tips you may have if you're a teacher!
Peace
1. Do not go into teaching for the money: Just in case you haven't joined the real world yet and don't know-- teachers are grossly underpaid. Professional athletes, doctors, and lawyers can make millions, but the ones who teach them how to read and write and add make barely enough to support themselves in this expensive soceity. In short... if you're going to teach, do it because you have a passion for it. Teaching might pay the bills, but you're neither going to have the time, energy, or funds to do much beyond that.
2. This is not a "leave work at work" kind of job: If you are looking for a job where you can go to work, work hard, and then leave and not think about it again until the next day, don't teach. Teaching requires much more time and energy than just what is spent during the school day. I have heard that the more you teach, the easier it gets. I am sure that is true. As for my experience at the moment, most of my time is spent on school-related matters. A typical day for me is: get up at five, get dressed and eat, leave by 6:40 am, get to school and teach, leave school by 4 or 4:30, get home at 5, work on preparing lessons until dinner, work on preparing lessons after dinner until 10 or 11, sleep. As you can see, not a whole lot of time for fun stuff. I wont sugarcoat it, it's hard. Just be prepared to work hard, but it does pay off in the end.
3. Remain calm: That sounds like a suggestion for an emergency situation. Well, it is. Let's face it, stuff happens. You can never possibly know what might happen in the classroom until it does. As the teacher, you have to be calm about anything that happens. Long story short, if you freak out your kids are going to freak out too. On the other hand, if you stay calm there is a much better chance that your kids will. I actually had a lesson in this very topic today. As I was teaching in a center, I see my assistant with a somewhat startled look on her face mouthing for me to come to the back of the room. When I get to the back, she tells me to look in the sink. When I finally look in the right sink, there is a just born baby hamster laying in the sink. I have two hamster that are supposedly not pregnant and both girls. I am so shocked as I look and see that 5 baby hamsters have been born. Let's just say baby hamster are not "cute" Hairless and pink and tiny aren't right up my ally. Anyway, as much as I wanted to flip out and run out of the room, I didn't. If I had done that it would have set my kids into a tailspin. I had to figure out what to do first, and then adress the students about what had happened. This made it a learning experience instead of a wild classroom moment.
3. Be consistent with discipline: If you haven't learned already, classroom management and discipline are the hardest parts of teaching (at least for most people). Yelling and screaming are not necessary. To be a good classroom manager, all you really need to do is by consistent. That is so much easier said than done. I struggle with this more than any other thing. It is SO easy to get onto the "bad kid's" case big time. If you do that, however, you have to do the same to the kid who is usually perfect but made a bad mistake. Believe me, you'll wanna let this kid slide. Seems easy enough to be consistent, but it's really tough. I promise that it's the key to running and classroo
4. Relish in the victories: Teaching is so hard and so rewarding at the same time. You have to dwell on the small victories rather than the many failures. Think about the fact that you helped a child learn to tie their shoe for the first time or read their first book instead of the fact that one lesson you taught was a flop. The failures are going to happen, they're inevitable. Instead of dwelling on them, learn from them.
5. Captivate your audience: This is especially for teachers of younger children. It is essential to make what you are teaching interesting. Children have a short attention span as it is. If you are bored by what you're teaching, your kids will be even more bored. It pays to find an interesting, creative way to teach even the most dull topic.
6. Plan for way more than you ever think you can fit into a day: This is probably one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give. In my 4k class (and really for any age) any lag time in the class is a death sentence. The minute my kids notice that there is not something for them to do, they will spin out of control. Therefore, it is important for me to have more than enough activities for them to keep busy with. I would much rather not get to everything I planned than have a lot of extra time.
I hope this gives some kind of insight into teaching. I learn something new everyday, so I am sure that there will be things to add. Feel free to post any tips you may have if you're a teacher!
Peace
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
YAY!
I haven't written in a while, so here goes my life....
I've had a very good last couple of weeks. I've been pretty busy. Last week was spent helping with Creative Arts Camp at my church. I got the chance to help out with keeping the young kids of other workers at the camp. I will confess that at first I wasn't overly excited about "babysitting" all week. Honestly I believed I could contribute more by working in music or movement or something like that since I have a musical background. I decided, however, to try and make the very best of the situation. I was amazed how God blessed the time I had doing that. First, I was able to play with ADORABLE kids for three hours a day. Who could complain about that? :) I also got to meet some great people. The mother of twins that I kept was one of them. We talked throughout the week, and I plan to babysit for her and possibly some of her freinds sometime soon. She seemed so excited to have found a "responsible" person that she trusted to keep her kids. I also got the sweetest note from Kim, the coordinator of CAC, on Sunday. She told me how much she appreciated me working and that it made it so much easier for the camp to run smoothly. I know now that there was a reason I was supposed to keep the kids this week, even if I could have worked in another area.
Other than that, I have been doing a little job hunting and gearing up for my next two weeks!! What is going on, you ask? Well, get ready to be jealous!! I am going for one week on a cruise in the carribean (thanks dad and debbie for the grad present!) and for one week to my FAVORITE place on this earth- Edisto Island. I absolutely can not wait. I am glad to have some fun, relaxing time before I buckle down and get a job and begin work. There will certainly be updates after I get back!
I have also had a lot of fun with David the past couple of weeks. We've gotten the chance to do things together at church, and outside of church. I helped him teach a 1st grade sunday school class last sunday-- that was interesting. There are certainly a lot of energetic kids in that class, but I think together we did a good job (I say we- David did all the work and just about all of the teaching). I've had a great time this summer, and I know i've shown him some sides of me that he didn't know were there. Thank you for putting up with my silly, hyper side as well as my sleepy side :) I am going to miss you SO much over the next couple of weeks sweetie, I hope you know that! Have muchos fun at VBS, I wish I could be there! --Peace out
I've had a very good last couple of weeks. I've been pretty busy. Last week was spent helping with Creative Arts Camp at my church. I got the chance to help out with keeping the young kids of other workers at the camp. I will confess that at first I wasn't overly excited about "babysitting" all week. Honestly I believed I could contribute more by working in music or movement or something like that since I have a musical background. I decided, however, to try and make the very best of the situation. I was amazed how God blessed the time I had doing that. First, I was able to play with ADORABLE kids for three hours a day. Who could complain about that? :) I also got to meet some great people. The mother of twins that I kept was one of them. We talked throughout the week, and I plan to babysit for her and possibly some of her freinds sometime soon. She seemed so excited to have found a "responsible" person that she trusted to keep her kids. I also got the sweetest note from Kim, the coordinator of CAC, on Sunday. She told me how much she appreciated me working and that it made it so much easier for the camp to run smoothly. I know now that there was a reason I was supposed to keep the kids this week, even if I could have worked in another area.
Other than that, I have been doing a little job hunting and gearing up for my next two weeks!! What is going on, you ask? Well, get ready to be jealous!! I am going for one week on a cruise in the carribean (thanks dad and debbie for the grad present!) and for one week to my FAVORITE place on this earth- Edisto Island. I absolutely can not wait. I am glad to have some fun, relaxing time before I buckle down and get a job and begin work. There will certainly be updates after I get back!
I have also had a lot of fun with David the past couple of weeks. We've gotten the chance to do things together at church, and outside of church. I helped him teach a 1st grade sunday school class last sunday-- that was interesting. There are certainly a lot of energetic kids in that class, but I think together we did a good job (I say we- David did all the work and just about all of the teaching). I've had a great time this summer, and I know i've shown him some sides of me that he didn't know were there. Thank you for putting up with my silly, hyper side as well as my sleepy side :) I am going to miss you SO much over the next couple of weeks sweetie, I hope you know that! Have muchos fun at VBS, I wish I could be there! --Peace out
Friday, June 09, 2006
GO TIGERS
Today was a GREAT day. I got to go with my family and David to the Clemson baseball game. We got to the park early and spent some time tailgating with BBQ sandwiches. We even discovered the resident groundhog at the park :) It was a 3:00 game, so it was definitely hot! Other than that, it was perfect baseball weather, sunny and clear. Clemson is playing Oral Roberts University for a chance to go to the College World Series. They have to win two games against them to make it to the world series. Clemson got off to a good start today. Herman Demmink started the game off with a homerun. After trading runs throughout the game, the tigers ended up in the 9th inning trailing Oral Roberts 8-7. Fortunately, they were able to load the bases. This was when Tyler Colvin came up to the plate. In a swing of the bat, he did something that hadn't been done before at Clemson. He hit a walk-off grand slam homerun to win the game for Clemson 11-8. What an exciting game, I loved every minute of it!! We were all hot and sweaty by the end, but it was certainly worth it. I'm SO excited about tomorrow-- good luck tigers. All I have left to say is 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-C-L-E-M-S-O-N-T-I-G-E-R-S fight tigers, fight tigers, fight, fight, fight! GOOD LUCK!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Good Times and Sunshine!
The past couple weeks have been a lot of fun! I'll admit I haven't looked in to jobs and interviews nearly as much as I should have, but oh well... that will come very soon. Last week I got the chance to spend the week at my grandparent's condo in North Myrtle Beach. It was just me and my grandma. Normally I would say that I wouldn't have too much fun without someone my age with me, but I did. I got to spend a lot of time on the beach by myself, as my grandma didn't want to go out a lot. That was the perfect chance to read some and start a little bit of a tan for my brother's wedding that is coming up this weekend. Watching the ocean and listening to the waves never fails to remind me how awesome God is to have created something so beautiful. We also got to go shopping some (if you know me, you know that I LOVE that) and we went for a little while to the American Idol party at Hard Rock Cafe. We both had a lot of fun.
Other than the beach trip, I've been pretty busy doing stuff for my brother's wedding. I've been to a couple of showers, a bridesmaid's luncheon, gotten my dress altered, and things like that. I am excited about the wedding, I know it is going to be beautiful!
I have also gotten to spend some time with David over the past week. Up until now he's been at Furman and I've been at Clemson. Even though they are only about an hour and a half apart, it's still tough sometimes not being able to see him that often. We talk a lot either way, but that doesn't compare to being with him. I'm so happy that we're both home now and able to spend some more time together --yay!! I went to Susannah's graduation with him last Friday, which was very cool. With less that 30 graduates at Shannon Forest, it was a much more intimate setting than my graduation, which had a class of about 500. The part that I liked the most was when the key note speaker, Mr. Sell, spoke to each graduate individually and told them what qualities he saw in them that would allow them to be successful in the future. That was so cool, it made me wish I had been to a smaller high school.
Other than the graudation, we've played some outside (basketball, frisbee, stuff like that), and watched some movies. Our latest adventure was trying to walk Skyler, my dog (Trying is the operative word in that sentence). Let's just say he has a mind of his own. I had already taken Skyler to walk at the park, and I decided to take him to walk with David around his neighborhood. He did ok (other than pulling on the leash and switching sides too much) for a little while. Apparently about half way through, he decided that he was too tired to walk any more, point blank. He sat down in the grass of someone's yard, I don't know whose, and refused to budge. David and I both tried to get him to go, but it wouldn't work. So eventually I had to just go and get my car and drive it to him. Skyler got into the car with out too much trouble. That dog is funny sometimes, and most of the time I regret not getting him trained when he was younger. Oh well- There will be more to come soon :) peace out -- AK
Other than the beach trip, I've been pretty busy doing stuff for my brother's wedding. I've been to a couple of showers, a bridesmaid's luncheon, gotten my dress altered, and things like that. I am excited about the wedding, I know it is going to be beautiful!
I have also gotten to spend some time with David over the past week. Up until now he's been at Furman and I've been at Clemson. Even though they are only about an hour and a half apart, it's still tough sometimes not being able to see him that often. We talk a lot either way, but that doesn't compare to being with him. I'm so happy that we're both home now and able to spend some more time together --yay!! I went to Susannah's graduation with him last Friday, which was very cool. With less that 30 graduates at Shannon Forest, it was a much more intimate setting than my graduation, which had a class of about 500. The part that I liked the most was when the key note speaker, Mr. Sell, spoke to each graduate individually and told them what qualities he saw in them that would allow them to be successful in the future. That was so cool, it made me wish I had been to a smaller high school.
Other than the graudation, we've played some outside (basketball, frisbee, stuff like that), and watched some movies. Our latest adventure was trying to walk Skyler, my dog (Trying is the operative word in that sentence). Let's just say he has a mind of his own. I had already taken Skyler to walk at the park, and I decided to take him to walk with David around his neighborhood. He did ok (other than pulling on the leash and switching sides too much) for a little while. Apparently about half way through, he decided that he was too tired to walk any more, point blank. He sat down in the grass of someone's yard, I don't know whose, and refused to budge. David and I both tried to get him to go, but it wouldn't work. So eventually I had to just go and get my car and drive it to him. Skyler got into the car with out too much trouble. That dog is funny sometimes, and most of the time I regret not getting him trained when he was younger. Oh well- There will be more to come soon :) peace out -- AK
Sunday, May 14, 2006
I GRADUATED!
If the title didn't give it away-- I graduated yesterday! I am officially no longer a student at Clemson University. A lot of people have asked me how I feel about that. I give the answer that probably most people give, but it is still very true. I'm both happy and sad. I'm happy that I accomplished something really important. I'm happy that I don't have to go to classes anymore when I would rather be doing anything else. I'm happy for no more midterms, no more finals, no more research papers, no more PORTFOLIOS!!! But I am sad too, for a lot of things. I am sad that I am leaving behind some amazing friends and that I wont get to see them on a regular basis anymore. I'm sad that I don't get to be in my favorite place on earth anymore, that I don't get to go to Fike for free, and that I don't get to have late night and early morning random conversations with my roomates. I'm going to miss all of that much more than I probably realize right now.
Going to Clemson has been the greatest time of my life. I have met wonderful people, grown immensely in my relationship with Christ, learned a lot (sometimes reluctantly), grown up some (also reluctantly :) ), and had the time of my life. Who ever said high school was the greatest four years of your life obviously didn't go to college. No comparison in my mind.
So, yesterday I graduated. My family was there, including my mom, dad, step-mom, step-dad, brother, sister-in-law, and grand parents. The surprise of the day was that David came to be with me too. I wasn't expecting him to come because he told me that he was planning on going on a trip out of town. He kept this story up all the way to the day of graduation. I had NO idea that he had been planning on coming all along. I was standing in line getting ready to march and all the sudden he walked up. I did a double-take when I saw him because I wasn't expecting it at all-- but I was SO happy that he came. At first I thought he had decided to come on a whim, but only later did I get to hear about the planning and scheming that went into keeping all of this a secret. Lets just say that my whole family knew he was coming, everyone except me. I thought I was pretty observant and would notice something like this-- hmm I guess not! Anyway- as a shout out to David-- you being there made my graduation a thousand times better than it ever would have been without you. You have no idea what it meant to me to have you there!! Your thoughtfulness is just one of the things I love about you. Just watch out-- I will retaliate for the sneakiness that went on for this surpise :)!
On to other things-- after the cermony we took millions of pictures, then we headed to dinner at Bonefish Grille. It was wonderful food and wonderful company!! After that I opened gifts- which I wont detail here because I'm getting sleepy. It is enough to say that I have family and freinds far beyond what I deserve- they are SUPER GREAT! So that's about it- PEACE OUT!
Going to Clemson has been the greatest time of my life. I have met wonderful people, grown immensely in my relationship with Christ, learned a lot (sometimes reluctantly), grown up some (also reluctantly :) ), and had the time of my life. Who ever said high school was the greatest four years of your life obviously didn't go to college. No comparison in my mind.
So, yesterday I graduated. My family was there, including my mom, dad, step-mom, step-dad, brother, sister-in-law, and grand parents. The surprise of the day was that David came to be with me too. I wasn't expecting him to come because he told me that he was planning on going on a trip out of town. He kept this story up all the way to the day of graduation. I had NO idea that he had been planning on coming all along. I was standing in line getting ready to march and all the sudden he walked up. I did a double-take when I saw him because I wasn't expecting it at all-- but I was SO happy that he came. At first I thought he had decided to come on a whim, but only later did I get to hear about the planning and scheming that went into keeping all of this a secret. Lets just say that my whole family knew he was coming, everyone except me. I thought I was pretty observant and would notice something like this-- hmm I guess not! Anyway- as a shout out to David-- you being there made my graduation a thousand times better than it ever would have been without you. You have no idea what it meant to me to have you there!! Your thoughtfulness is just one of the things I love about you. Just watch out-- I will retaliate for the sneakiness that went on for this surpise :)!
On to other things-- after the cermony we took millions of pictures, then we headed to dinner at Bonefish Grille. It was wonderful food and wonderful company!! After that I opened gifts- which I wont detail here because I'm getting sleepy. It is enough to say that I have family and freinds far beyond what I deserve- they are SUPER GREAT! So that's about it- PEACE OUT!
Saturday, May 06, 2006
No thinking allowed
I could do a good update right now, but this week has been officially designated as no-thinking week for me. I will say, for those who have been asking and praying, that I made a B in student teaching! YAY! If you know me, you know that I am not completely happy with that, but after this semester, I am satisfied. Bring it on May 12th, I'm ready to graduate!!!!
Saturday, April 08, 2006
6 months!
I haven't updated my blog in a while-- so here goes! On Thursday night David and I got the chance to go see Casting Crowns, Nichole Nordeman, and Josh Bates in concert at the Bi-Lo center. It was a birthday present that I gave him back in February, and it was worth the wait! It was an awesome experience! Josh and Nichole did a great job of talking and performing. I had not heard a lot of Josh Bates before then, and I was very impressed with him all around! Casting Crowns was, of course, amazing. It was great to see some of the songs that I've heard on the radio performed live. It was more amazing to see how God worked in the lives of people that night. I am not sure how many people came to know Christ at the concert, but it would not have been in vain if only one did! Needless to say, I had a great time!
It just so happened that Friday was six months since me and David started dating, so we got to celebrate a few hours early. Neither of us had eaten dinner, so we were hungry. Here is the funny part. When you go to a concert that get's out at around 10:30, not a whole lot of restaurants are still open. Because I had to be up at 5 in the morning, I didn't have a lot of time. So, we decided to go for fast food or something like that. We ended up going to Jack in the Box. They weren't open to eat inside, just the drive through. It will go down in history that we celebrated six months in a car in the parking lot of Jack in the Box eating dinner :) But hey, it's a fun story to tell! I wouldn't trade it! So-- happy six months babe! It has been more than I could ever ask for or imagine. Hey, that sounds like a verse in the Bible, huh? God has blessed me with that! Love :)
It just so happened that Friday was six months since me and David started dating, so we got to celebrate a few hours early. Neither of us had eaten dinner, so we were hungry. Here is the funny part. When you go to a concert that get's out at around 10:30, not a whole lot of restaurants are still open. Because I had to be up at 5 in the morning, I didn't have a lot of time. So, we decided to go for fast food or something like that. We ended up going to Jack in the Box. They weren't open to eat inside, just the drive through. It will go down in history that we celebrated six months in a car in the parking lot of Jack in the Box eating dinner :) But hey, it's a fun story to tell! I wouldn't trade it! So-- happy six months babe! It has been more than I could ever ask for or imagine. Hey, that sounds like a verse in the Bible, huh? God has blessed me with that! Love :)
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
The Warrior
I'm just gonna do the typical rambling about what's going on in my so called "life" right now. Today was a good day. The kids in my k-5 class were pretty calm. This was surprising, seeing as though they had a long weekend this past weekend. I'm really needing a break right now. I say this because I haven't had a day off since January (well, technically I had one, but I was in bed all day sick-- I don't count that). Spring break can not come soon enough. I have a big obstacle in my way, however, before that comes. My two weeks of full time student teaching. I am sure that this time will come and pass without too much of a problem. There will be challenges, as there are with anything worth acheiving. I am more than grateful for the incredible people who are already supporting me through this time. I'm not sure what I would do without my boyfriend, my roomates, friends, and family. All I have to do is talk to any one of these people and I instantly realize that things are not nearly as bad for me as I sometimes like to make it out to be. I am learning, however, to depend on God more and more through tough times. Over the past couple of weeks I have felt a whole range of emotions. I've been very happy, tired, frustrated, upset, and burned out. It is only when I take time to praise God that the thing I really need comes, peace. It is amazing to me how God can bring that peace into my life when nothing else can. When I truly focus on Him and look to Him for help and encouragement, He speaks to my heart over and over again saying "You have given this time in your life to me, don't be afraid!" I would be lost without Him in my life. In my life that is so full of chaos, noise, and stress...time with God is absolutely crucial. I learned a valuable lesson last week at FCA-- approach the throne of God boldly. Jesus died on the Cross so that we have that privelage. We do not have to timid in prayer, appologizing for praying for anything. Pray like a warrior or a lion, God will honor that. Your heart will be convicted if you are praying for the wrong thing, God will let you know. So, my prayer for you is that you will boldly approach the Throne of Grace and let God know what you need. He i s ready and waiting to give you what you need--JUST ASK!
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me.
From life's first cry, to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till He returns, or call me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
-Newsboys
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me.
From life's first cry, to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till He returns, or call me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.
-Newsboys
Thursday, March 09, 2006
This One is for David
This blog is for David because, like some other people, he teases me about not updating my blog. All I have to say is that I warned you I wouldn't be good at updating (See first post) :P
Well, I have been CRAZY busy and having fun too the last, oh, 2 months. Student teaching for me is in full swing. I have 23 pretty amazing, energetic 5 year olds to teach and take care of 5 days a week. As I expected, I've been sick just about as much as I've been healthy this semester. Probably shoulda taken the advice of some professors and gotten that airborn medicine that is supposed to protect you from all that stuff that goes around in the classroom. Oh well.
I did a post a while back that listed some things that I've learned in life so far. I'm gonna add some things here that I've learned in the last 2 months:
1. It is better to look at life in an anxious way than a frustrated way.
2. I spend way too much time being scared about things in general
3. I can't wait to have my own classroom to teach in.
4. Clemson rocks my world, and I am going to miss it very much after I graduate
5. I can't WAIT to graduate... May 12th is coming!! (Haha, funny coming after #4, huh)
6. A day without talking to God is a waste of my time and very unhappy
7. My roomates are CRRRAZY
8. Confrontation scares me, but I can do it
9. Love is something to be cherished, always
10.God doesn't expect perfection from me, he gives perfection to me through Jesus (if you know how much of a perfectionist I am, you'll know that this one is hard for me sometimes)
11. I miss ice cream in the winter, it doesn't taste as good as it does in the summer
12. I NEED SPRING BREAK!!!
13. Mac's drive in doesn't take debit cards (hehe)
So there ya go. That's what I've learned.
On to today-- I had to tape myself teaching today. It's not something I ever look foreward too, but I think it turned out alright. I have come to realize I will never like looking at myself on tape, but oh well. So, with that done, full time student teaching and a portfolio presentation are all that stand between me and graduation. Be praying for me from March 20th-31st while I'm taking over full time teaching. I will definitely need patience and lots of energy :)
That's about it for me tonight-- Peace out!
Well, I have been CRAZY busy and having fun too the last, oh, 2 months. Student teaching for me is in full swing. I have 23 pretty amazing, energetic 5 year olds to teach and take care of 5 days a week. As I expected, I've been sick just about as much as I've been healthy this semester. Probably shoulda taken the advice of some professors and gotten that airborn medicine that is supposed to protect you from all that stuff that goes around in the classroom. Oh well.
I did a post a while back that listed some things that I've learned in life so far. I'm gonna add some things here that I've learned in the last 2 months:
1. It is better to look at life in an anxious way than a frustrated way.
2. I spend way too much time being scared about things in general
3. I can't wait to have my own classroom to teach in.
4. Clemson rocks my world, and I am going to miss it very much after I graduate
5. I can't WAIT to graduate... May 12th is coming!! (Haha, funny coming after #4, huh)
6. A day without talking to God is a waste of my time and very unhappy
7. My roomates are CRRRAZY
8. Confrontation scares me, but I can do it
9. Love is something to be cherished, always
10.God doesn't expect perfection from me, he gives perfection to me through Jesus (if you know how much of a perfectionist I am, you'll know that this one is hard for me sometimes)
11. I miss ice cream in the winter, it doesn't taste as good as it does in the summer
12. I NEED SPRING BREAK!!!
13. Mac's drive in doesn't take debit cards (hehe)
So there ya go. That's what I've learned.
On to today-- I had to tape myself teaching today. It's not something I ever look foreward too, but I think it turned out alright. I have come to realize I will never like looking at myself on tape, but oh well. So, with that done, full time student teaching and a portfolio presentation are all that stand between me and graduation. Be praying for me from March 20th-31st while I'm taking over full time teaching. I will definitely need patience and lots of energy :)
That's about it for me tonight-- Peace out!
Thursday, January 19, 2006
It's a God Thing!
God has taught me so many things this past year, and still is teaching me even now. One HUGE thing is patience. I think I am possibly the most impatient person on earth. That has been tested to the max this past year, and I have been convicted to work on it a lot. One verse that I have looked at concerning patience is Colossians 3:12. It says, "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." The bible is saying that patience is one thing that a follower and child of God should clothe themselves with. This means that it should be an essential part of my character as a Christian. I have not nearly become the patient person I should be yet, but it is certainly a work in progress. Another thing that I have really learned in the past few months is that there are no coincidences. This might not seem like a huge thing. But for me, realizing that there are no coincidences means truly beginning to understand that God has planned my life in order for me to meet people and be in situations that allow me to grow in knowledge and faith in Him. For every obstacle I go through, I can find hope in the fact that God has a reason for allowing me to go through it. For every person I meet it is a great adventure figuring out why God has put them in my path. I don't pretend to always know why God plans certain things or has me come in contact with certain people. Even so, it is comforting to know that he is in control of it all. In short, I have learned that there are no coincidences, everything is a God thing! The verse that comes to mind for this is one that many people know, Jeremiah 29:11. It says, ""For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" How cool is that :) Peace out-
Monday, January 09, 2006
Things I've learned so far!
Things I've learned so far: These are things that l've realized in life... you may not understand them all, but maybe you can relate to some of them!
1. 2 am runs to Wal-mart are the most fun!
2. Friends can make anything bearable
3. Hugs and kisses make me smile more than anything else can
4. My parents are my friends
5. Kids are way more perceptive than anyone wants to give them credit for
6. I never want to be too old to act silly!
7. God has unending love, mercy, and grace... otherwise I would not be here
8. Cookies taste better as batter
1. 2 am runs to Wal-mart are the most fun!
2. Friends can make anything bearable
3. Hugs and kisses make me smile more than anything else can
4. My parents are my friends
5. Kids are way more perceptive than anyone wants to give them credit for
6. I never want to be too old to act silly!
7. God has unending love, mercy, and grace... otherwise I would not be here
8. Cookies taste better as batter
9. Saturday's in the fall at Clemson can not be beat!
10. Boys are silly and often times confusing (though they all claim that girls are!)
11. Late night talks between girls are cleansing
12. Prayers are answered, but whether it is "yes" or "no" is up to God
13. The best 4 years of your life are in college, not high school
14. People all want basically the same thing, love and acceptance
15. Cherries are my favorite
16. I am not good at taking compliments, but I'm working on it
17. Jesus loves me so much more than I deserve
18. Quiet time is not a duty, it is a privelage
19. Ice cream is the magic medicine for all my illnesses :)
20. Singing is powerful
21. If you ask God for a sign, be ready to recieve one!
22. Waffle House is the only place to be at 3 in the morning!
23. People are more important than things
24. God has a plan for everything that happens
25. I am loved
26. Shopping is going to cause me financial ruin at my currect rate :)
27. I am blessed beyond belief by the people and things in my life
28. I miss being a kid
29. Stars really do shine brighter in the country
30. I like being barefoot whenever possible
31. Running can actually be fun
32. I am much better at writing my feelings than saying them
33. I need to learn how to show emotion in front of others
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