A Return to the Past

I had a really nice trip to Edisto this year.

To most, this seems like a "duh" statement- it's the beach, right. But for me, no. You have to understand the history behind this. The history with my family. I don't like to get into a lot of details with family stuff, since anyone can read this. Let's just say that there have been some rough times in the past putting my whole family (that's including step family) in one house together for a week. Maybe the personalities don't match, maybe people don't have enough to occupy their time, or maybe it's the alcohol talking. Probably all of those combined. Anyway, for some years now I've come to see Edisto as less of a vacation and more of a game of waiting to see what crazy thing will happen next. This is sad, because Edisto is one of my favorite places on earth.

If you're one of those people who have to have constant noise and action and a party atmosphere, you really wouldn't like it. What's more, you wouldn't get it. You have to come to an understanding with the island. When you look at it on the surface, you may see something that looks boring. No, you can't do much shopping. You can't go putt putting, and you certainly can't go to a night club. But if you're the kind of person who likes these things (which at times, I am) it doesn't mean you can't also appreciate Edisto for what it is.

There's a natural beauty to the island. You can't really describe it to someone- but I'll try. In a 5 minute walk you can look a the ocean with dolphins playing and the most seashells of each beach in SC, and you can see breathtaking view of marsh land, with Ospreys flying over. You can drive down (in your car or on a bike) streets with trees bending from both sides of the road to touch each other.

There's an oldness to Edisto. Plantation homes still stand on the island with long, winding roads and hugs gates. While there are paved roads, there are also dirt roads that make your car rattle as if you were on a washboard. There is a dirt-floored vegetable stand called "George and Pink's" that has the best veggies, and also some roosters walking around if you come at the right time. There's ONE grocery store where everyone goes. It's the kind of place that they leave the key to the house you rented outside so you can get it when you arrive (along with a map of where to go) and don't think for a second anyone else would take it. The biggest event of the week is Bingo in a relatively small building (last time I went, close to 400 people came). For goodness sake, there's a mattress tied to a tree called the "Edisto Hammock." They forgot to join the 21st century... I love it.


There's a mystery and culture to Edisto. I have been going to Edisto since I was a little girl, and I'm still learning more about it each year. The low country of SC is full of mysterious ghost tales- it's part of living there. Edisto has some of these too. I love to hear the "gullah" accent of the natives. Going to the church and hearing the choir sing would make you cry. You can also hike to go see the Indian mound. The people hear know the rivers (the ACE basin -- where the Ashepoo, Cumbahee, and the Edisto Rivers come together) like the back of their hands.

All of these things, and even more that are unspoken, instill a love of the island in anyone who takes the time to appreciate it. This year I seemed to have a bit more time to appreciate these things. I'm glad. Many of my greatest childhood memories were made on Edisto, and I can't wait to make more for myself and eventually my new family!

Why oh Why

I like to ask why. I have since I was a kid. Yes, I was one of those really annoying kids who kept on asking and asking and asking. I like to think it made me a little smarter. I don't ask it as often now, of course, at least not out loud. Here are some things that come to mind lately that I've wondered about:

1. Why do some guys have to be jerks?: Ok, if you happen to be one of these guys, listen up. This has happened more than once to me, and I'm sure to many girls. Let's get this straight. Riding in your truck beside a girl and starting at her, holding up your cell phone and asking her to call you, is NOT the right way to get her attention. Maybe it's just me, but I automatically thing "WEIRDO STALKER!" This might work for some girls... but if it does, think about what kind of girl you're actually attracting here. When it comes to the point where a girl has to hold up her left hand and show the ring it's pretty much gone far enough.

2. Why are some guys so great?: On the opposite side of things, I have an amazingly wonderful fiance! I ask myself at least once every day how I got the privilege of being with such a great man. He is constantly doing things that show me his love for me and how much of a kind, caring, thoughtful person he is! I love you baby!

3. Why does a good hair day make everything better?: This is a shout out to David, too! He and I both have "new do's" now! Something about the good hair day just translates to every other part of the day. Maybe it's a confidence thing, maybe it's a comfort thing... what I do know is whatever you're doing, you look fabulous doing it! :)

4. Why does everything that is bad for you taste so good?: Come on, you know it's true. I eat salads with the best of them.... and some people say they taste great (including me). I love veggies too, but wouldn't you REALLY rather be eating that cheeseburger?? YOU KNOW YOU WOULD!

5. Why is the sky blue?: Oh, yeah... something about the ocean?? Hehe, kidding

6. Why is it that a good song can turn your day around like nothing else?: Seems to me that even the worst day can become better with the right song. That's why music transcends language.... no matter where you are or who you are music can touch you. Pretty amazing, too, how God lets you hear that song just when you need it!

7. Why do cookies go so well with milk?: David and I made cookies to take to his Aunt and Uncle's house this weekend when we go. Some had to be sampled, of course, and we each had a glass of milk. Cookies are good, but that glass of milk just pushes them over the edge to great :) Who came up with that combo??

8. WHY THE HECK IS GAS SO EXPENSIVE???? Haha, all that needs to be said about that one!

Maybe the last and final one should be why am I blogging at 1:30 am when I've got a busy weekend coming up and lots to do? Hehe, ah well.

A New Look and a New Attitude

A wise person once told me that writing could help you sort out your feelings and even help you get through tough problems in life (ok, it was my fiance-- yes, he is very wise). I can honestly say it has been a blessing beyond words that I wrote my last blog, "Peter Pan Syndrome." No, life hasn't automatically become perfect- and I wouldn't want it that way. Perfect=boring... and we aren't made that way. However, I have been able to really look at my attitude and what things have caused me to act and think the way I have been. I can already feel a change in myself since I wrote it. A few days ago I went from a dark brunette to a blond, so why not have a new and improved attitude to go with my new and improved look (I'll try to post a picture ASAP)!
I have two verses from the Bible that I have been clinging to over the past few days. Both come from the book of Ephesians chapter 5:

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1-2

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord." Ephesians 5:8-10

These verses have reminded me of a couple of very important things in my life. One is that Christ loves me more than I could possibly know. If I profess to be a Christian, which I am, and have a relationship with Christ, nothing on earth should make me happier than knowing that God loves me and sent Christ to die so that my sins can be forgiven and I can spend eternity with God. Why do I, and so many Christians, forget this simple truth so often? It is the most basic truth of Christianity. It is what we profess when we put our faith in Christ. Maybe we forget because many of us became Christians at an early age. Maybe we forget because we get so bogged down in everything else going on. Maybe we forget because we don't spend enough time in the presence of Christ and in the presence of people who believe what we do and can encourage us. I have a feeling it is a little bit of all of these. The simple fact that Christ loves me so much that He died for me should be enough to bring joy to my life for the rest of my life. The war has been won for me. No problems I might face in life, including death, are beyond the power of Christ. In fact, He is in control of everything, so even the trials I face are for His glory. Everything I do has a purpose, to grow in stature and faith and to glorify God. In the book of James it says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when ever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:2). No human is going to be perfect at this, but I can find comfort in the fact that all of the things I've faced this year are making me a better, stronger person in Christ!

The other thing that the verses I mentioned above have reminded me of is that others are watching me. Sounds scary, like a horror movie, huh? I don't mean it like that, not the stalker kind of watching. People who do not know the Lord are watching me, and other Christians. This is important because the job of Christians is to be ambassadors for Christ on earth. Christ did walk on this earth for a short time, but that was long ago. We as His followers are to spread His love and message until He returns. If I have an ugly attitude, one that seems beaten down and without hope, what are others going to think? Most likely they will think - "She seems to be feeling and acting just like me- obviously nothing is different about her, why does she need God, and why do I?" That is the last message I want to send to a world that needs God. I have a hope that surpasses all understanding, a hope that is still there in the darkest times. That's what I as a Christian want others to see. If I were trying to sell a product, a vacuum (for lack of a better example), I certainly wouldn't represent it in a bad light. I wouldn't walk around acting like I didn't do anything for me, it wasn't helpful, or it didn't work well. I wouldn't want to give it a "bad name." Why would I do that for Christ? If I want others to see Him as I see Him, then I have to remember that my attitude must reflect that hope I've talked about!

So, that's my little sermon for today :) Upcoming events-- Wedding planning this week, and packing for a MUCH needed week at the beach next week! Yay!

Peter Pan Syndrome

I'm done teaching and now am on summer break. If anything, this gives me some time to catch my breath, think, and blog a little bit. I haven't written since last December, but I think I need to take this time to reflect on this whole year. I feel as though I have had a gradual change in my attitude over the last year. By nature I have always been very bubbly, optimistic, and happy. When I think about my attitude now, however, I don't see that anymore. It makes me sad to realize that, but I have not given up hope that I will get back to my old self soon enough. I think that I owe those who are close to me a little bit of an explanation as to how I believe this came to be. These are not excuses for me being cranky or anything like that... more like me trying to collect my thoughts in writing. I'm hoping it might help me understand what's going on as well.
If I'm being honest, I feel like a completely different person than I was on June 15th of last year. In many ways this past year has been the toughest year of my life (and in other ways it has been the best, but i'll get to that a bit later). No one HUGE thing has made this year any tougher than others, but its been more of a compilation of a lot of things. More than anything, this year has made me grow up more than I ever wanted to. I would have to say that I have always had a touch of "Peter Pan Syndrome." I'm the kind of person who appreciates the simplicity, safety, and wonder of being a child. When I think about Christmas, beach trips, friends, and special family times as a child I remember them with such fondness. I had a few rough times growing up, but generally I was blessed with a wonderful family who went out of their way to give me everything I ever wanted and needed. Who wants to grow up if you have all of those things as a child? Not me. This past year, however, left me with no choice.
Everyone has a defining time in their life when they transition from a child to an adult. As I said, for me it was not just one thing, but a series of events. My series of events started last summer on a family beach trip. I wont go into too many details, since it involves some personal family issues, but this trip included some arguments that set into motion some major life changes for me. The first major life change was moving out on my own. This was a huge deal for me. In a way it was a catch 22. I had no choice, in my mind, about moving out. It was something that I HAD to do. I couldn't stay in my parent's house anymore. The "catch 22" part of it is that I miss my family. As I said, I had a wonderful childhood. There are still days, though it's been almost a year since I moved out, that I miss my family. By nature I'm not a quiet person. I'm someone who really likes to be around people. So, when I moved out on my own, without a roomate or anyone, it took some adjustments. I haven't talked about it a lot, but it was hard. I spent some nights crying, some night lonely, and some nights wishing that I hadn't done it. Fortunately, those are much fewer and farther between now. Of course, I am getting more used to it every day. I still struggle at times, though. Whether it's being scared to go in by myself at night, or just wanting someone to be there with me, to talk to me.
Along with being in a new house came the obvious-paying bills. I can't think of many things that will make you grow up faster than doing that. I was thrown into budgeting my money to pay rent, telephone, electric, etc. As I mentioned before, the thought of going back home crossed my mind more than a few times. A teacher's salary isn't notoriously high, and doing this on my own made me feel lost and scared. Throw in the things that I WANTED to do and the rising price of gas, and you find out just what you're made of. I've had to reprioritize a lot this past year. No, I can't go out and just buy that shirt I want-- I have to pay rent. No, I can't go get my nails done-- phone bill! No, I can't go to that concert, it's just not gonna happen. The selfish side of me still wants to whine about not getting what I want, but the mature side of me is slowly but surely trying to take over and reassure me that it will all be ok. Well, iust as I got move into my house in August of last year and started paying the bills, my other obstacle came along.
In early August of last year I walked into my first day of teaching second grade. Little did I know what awaited me. In all fairness to those close to me, I did not talk about how difficult this teaching year was for me. I suppose it was because I figured that everyone else had their own problems and didn't need to hear about all of mine. Teaching second grade tested me beyond what I thought I could handle. Many days I woke up with tears not wanting to go into work. I didn't know what was going to happen that day, but I wasn't sure I could take it. The kids were out of control. Kids were cussing at each other, cussing at me, writing ugly notes, bringing lighters to school, giving out medicine, throwing fits (stomping, screaming, throwing books, throwing themselves against walls, etc.) and so much more. If you weren't sure, yes, this is second grade. Thank goodness that through my ADEPT team I did get some help with managing the class. After that, things were better, but each day was the biggest challenge of my life keeping the kids under control. It was like a time bomb that might go off at any second. I found myself getting tougher than I ever thought I could be. I was mean. Many people say this is a blessing, that's how I need to be. I don't know. All I know is that I haven't ever before been pushed like I was this year.
The final piece of the puzzle to my year of growing up was becoming engaged. Thank goodness this is one that is all good :) I love my fiance more than words can say. He is the joy of my life, even when I don't show it. I'm am more in love than I ever thought I could be! And more than ever I am learning how to put someone else before myself. I don't always do a great job of it, and many times I know I've screwed up as soon as something comes out of my mouth. Now that i've spent so much time writing about the bad, let me talk about the silver linings of this year--

1. The NUMBER ONE silver lining is my relationship with Christ. Through all of this, even when I wouldn't talk to anyone else, I poured my heart out to Christ. When I didn't want to go to work, when I was scared, or when I was sad. He never failed to wrap his arms around me and let me know it was ok. He never failed to show me a verse from the Bible that I needed, or put someone in my path that day to encourage me. Without Him I would be nothing, I would be lost. Praise God that I'm not, and I have such great hope!

2. Another HUGE silver lining, as I mentioned, is my family and friends. I truly have been a "glass half empty" kind of person this past year, and though they didn't deserve that kind of attitude from me, they were always loving and supportive. And as for David, my fiance, I don't know what I would have done without him. Through everything he has been my rock. When I am down, he is there to be positive and loving. When I said things I probably shouldn't have he was quick to forgive and forget. He made me smile and feel love when I needed it the most. I am so blessed to be becoming his wife soon!!

3. My final silver lining is in the work area. Two good things came out of this tough year. One is that I passed ADEPT. ADEPT is the process teachers have to go through before they can be considered a professional, and have a continuing contract as a teacher. I got though it and that is a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. Another good thing is that I will be back in a K4 classroom next year. Even though this year was hard, I will be able to take what I learned this year and move forward. I know that next year is going to be a good one.

I am still growing up, but this year has been a huge leap. Next year I will become a wife, and that will bring new challenges. With Christ and with my family and friends the challenges will be met, and I can regain the wonder of a child even as an adult :) I'm still praying, and I appreciate your prayers too! LOVE!

Change

John F. Kennedy said "Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are centain to miss the future." More recently, Patty Loveless (a wonderful country singer) sang the lyrics "Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same."

Both of these quotes hit home with me at this moment in my life. The last time I wrote here, I was talking about summer and the fun I was having, the things I had done. I could have NEVER imagined what would transpire over the next 5 months, and how much my life would change. I must admit, I am not normally fond of change. I a girl who loves tradition, and wants things to remain just as they have always been. However, the change that has taken place in my life the past few months has been exciting, sometimes a little scary, and wonderful!

Change number one happened in late July/early August. For a while I had been thinking about moving out of my parents house and getting started on my own. When I began talking seriously with my parents about the idea, I assumed that I would probably take some time and eventually move into an apartment. That was not to be. Anyone who remotely knows my dad knows that he is very outgoing and is not afraid to talk to anyone... about anything. Well when he found out I was looking to move out on my own, he started talking. This led to a discussion with the owner of a horse farm in Gray Court, only a few miles from my mom's house. To make a long story short, I went and saw the small farmhouse that was for rent on the horse farm and absolutely fell in love with it. It had a charm and warmth that I can't describe with words. Not to mention the farm is beautiful, and the house is surrounded by over 30 horses. I was sold the second I saw it. On August 1st I was able to move in. I had so much help from my boyfriend, my friend Casey, Paula and her daugthers, and my grandmother that moving in didn't seem like a big deal. I have loved living out here on my own. I've learned a lot about responsibility, being on my own, paying bills, etc. I think it has helped me grow up in a lot of ways. I have also met some good friends from the farm! I still haven't ridden a horse, it WILL happen :)

The second change in my life is FAR more exciting to me than the first. As great as moving out on my own was, the next change has and will change my life forever. This story may take a little bit, but I'd like to tell it :) It begins with a phone call from my step-mom asking me if my boyfriend, David, and I would like to go to Gatlinburg on the weekend of December 7th to do some shopping and have some fun. When I asked David if he wanted to go, he hesitated just a bit. He told me that he had planned to take me out that Friday night (the 7th). After a little while, and a trip to the bathroom (which I found out later was to call home-- you'll understand later) he told me that we could go out on Thursday and still go to Gatlinburg over the weekend. I was happy. When he told me that he wanted to take me to Chophouse and on a carriage ride I was really excited, but suprised that he wanted to go somewhere so nice. But I went along with it! Finally, Thursday (Dec. 6th) came. After rushing around that evening (i'll leave those details out, not really important) David met me at my house to take me out. We went to Chophouse in Greenville. It was incredibly nice. The atmosphere is romantic :) I had a really good fruity drink called "Sex on the beach"-- David and I shared it. The food was great as well. As we were about to leave the restaurant I asked him if we were still going on the carriage ride. He nonchalantly (spelling?) told me that we'd wait until another night to do it. I understood because it was a school night and we were both tired. We decided to just go to my house and relax and do a bit of school work. At that point, David decided to make a quick call home. When he did, he "found out" he'd left his laptop at home. When he got off the phone he asked me if it was ok if we went by there quickly to get it. I told him that was fine, so we headed there. When we got to his house I still did not have a clue anything was up. When we were standing in the kitchen, he said "Oh, look, there's a fire going in there... wanna go sit down for a minute?" I fought the urge to tell him that we should probably get going, and said "ok, sure." As soon as I walked into the den, I saw the whole reason for us being there. Set up by the fireplace was a table with a white tablecloth. On it were cangles, a dozen white roses, chocolate covered strawberries, and champagne! There were also two white chairs. I knew then that this was all for me, he was going to propose! After a minute he had me sit, close my eyes, and hold out my hand. He placed a box in my hand and got down on one knee. I was SO happy by that point I could hardly concentrate. As the proposal ended he opened the ring box and asked me to marry him, to which I, of course, said "yes!" We were both as giddy as little kids at that point! He called his parents (who had been cued to leave with his phone call) to come back. When they arrived they had a gift for us, and we celebrated! I wont give too many more details here, but of course I can if you ask :) The bottom line is that I am GETTING MARRIED! I am so happy and so excited that I feel like I am still on cloud 9! See why I said I didn't mind this kind of change :)

To my fiance: Thank you so much for making me the happiest girl in the whole entire world! You are the most amazing guy I know, and my BEST friend. I can not wait for June 6, 09 when I get to be your wife! Until then, I am going to enjoy every single second of being engaged-- you are SO worth the wait :) I love you (more)!

Summer time, and the livin' is easy!

I love that song, and the lyrics describe my life pretty well right now. I am so glad to have some time to decompress after my first year of teaching. It's been a great year, but it's high time that I have some R and R (and some good times :))

Here's the update on what I've done so far in the short bit of summer i've had:

-COLORADO: Wow!! That's the only word I can use to even somewhat describe my trip out west. It was a very last minute trip to see Brad, my cousin, play in the JUCO World Series (Junior College baseball- if you don't know). Of course I expected to have a good time and see some nice scenery... but I just had no idea. We flew into Denver, then rented a car to drive 4 hours to Grand Junction, Colorado. The drive gave us some of the most stellar scenary I've ever seen. From the snow-covered mountains, to the hugs rock structures, to the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers, it was absolutely beautiful. While in Colorado we saw three sites: The Colorado National Monument, The Grand Mesa, and the Black Canyon. There's no use in me describing these three places because I am 100% sure I would not do them justice. I can only say one thing. I have always thought it was kind of cliche when people say that something was so beautiful that it "brought them closer to God." I never really experienced it until this trip. When we were standing looking at the awesome views and the amazing scenes and mountains all my mind kept going back to was "There is no way that anyone but God could have created something this awesome. How amazing is He!" So it truly did bring me closer to Him. I am so glad I got a chance to experience it, and now I know there was a reason for me to be there beyond just seeing baseball.

-NEW BEGINNINGS: Maybe this shouldn't be under the "livin' is easy" blog, but it is happening in my life (and I would appreciate prayers about it :)) I found out last Tuesday that the teaching position I held last year will be cut because there are not enough students. That does not mean that I wont have a job, it just means that the specific job I had (4 year old kindergarten teacher) no longer exists. Therefore, I have to either choose another grade or another school (possibly 4k at another school if it becomes available). It is upsetting to me that I can't stay in my position. I feel a level of comfort in that position, and I really enjoyed it. I do know, however, that there is a reason for me moving. I believe God has a reason for everything. Whether it's to stretch me as a teacher, but me in contact with someone I need to be in contact with, or teach me patience or flexibility, I do not know. I am keeping a prayerful and open mind as to what my next move will be.

-PROUD GIRLFRIEND: Yesterday I had the privelage of going with David to his graduation from Furman. It was the least I could do after he went to such lengths to surprise me at my graduation last year ;). We started at a reception for faculty and students. We only talked with one professor that he knew, but the reception was nice. We then took a lot of pictures and ate a really nice dinner in the DH. After that we took a lot of fun pictures :) If you have facebook and know David or I, look em up! Unfortunately the weather decided to be a stinker. The rain started at about 5:30 or so, and kept up through the night. That meant that instead of the normal ceremony at Paladin Stadium, graduation had to be held in Timmons arena. Timmons holds a lot less people than the stadium does, so not everyone could attend. All of our party that were already at Furman did get to go, so I was glad for that. So, all that being said, I got to watch David walk across the stage and graduate (along with about 630 other people!) I know how hard he has worked to earn his degree... all the hours studying, writing papers, teaching and so on. I am so excited and proud for him, he deserves it and more!! Congratulations, darling! I love you very very much! Thank you for inviting me to be with you on your day :)



So that wraps up my summer experience so far. I can't say for sure, because no one knows the future, but I have a feeling this summer is gonna be one to remember. I have SO many things to look forward to. Life is short, I'm gonna be living it to the fullest- how about you?

Love in Christ! -AK

Weekend fun!

It was one of those weekends that I didn't get a lot of rest, but it was a blast!

On Friday night I had the Furman junior/senior ball (or Palaprom) with David. To start off, we took a lot of pictures at Furman (look at my facebook if you can :)). We had a couple of people take some for us so we could be together in them. Most of them turned out great! The scenery is definitley pretty! After that, we went to The Peddler for dinner. That was very yummy, and the restaurant is really pretty. We had some nice people take some pictures of us there, too. After we left there we decided it was a little early to go to the dance. We hung out for a while in David's dorm. Of course, I almost fell asleep (this tends to happen when you become a teacher-- somehow your bed time gets earlier). At about 10:30 we headed to the dance. We danced the night away :) Haha, I know I could use some dance lessons-- but hey, we had fun! I had a great night, baby! Thanks for taking me!

On Saturday, I went to Clemson for some baseball. Our tigers won big against Ga. Tech! I love being outside and watching them play- it always seems to relax me. After the game we drove home instead of staying in the RV. My parents keep a 2 year-old sunday school class, so they wanted to be there for that. On Sunday afternoon we headed back to Clemson for the last baseball game of the series against Ga. Tech. Unfortunately we lost that one. Oh well, we took the series.

So that was my weekend in a nutshell-- Fun times! Peace--

What's Most Important....

The assistant principal read a book the other day with this title. It was a very simple book, but I like the concept a lot. I realize that many times I don't stop and remember what really is important in my life. The following are my "what's most important" points. So, here goes!

What's most important is:

1. Enjoying the simple pleasures of life (things I'll be talking about below :))
2. Laughing.... hard, like side-hurting hard
3. Good friends and good times
4. Trying new things
5. Watching the sunset every once and a while (the sunrise- not so much :))
6. Those long talks with mom or dad
7. Being yourself
8. A movie that is so good it makes you cry
9. A song that give you chills
10. Finding a book you can't put down until you finish
11. Shopping on Saturday and finding the perfect thing!
12. CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
13. Warm chocolate chip cookies
14. Cookie dough ice cream :)
15. ANYTHING cherry
16. Knowing you're having a great hair day
17. Brightening someone's day (and no, it doesn't have to cost a lot)
18. Long walks on the beach
19. Creating memories that last a lifetime
20. New crayons-they color so much better (ok, I had to have one for my class :))
21. Friday nights, they're the best!
22. Falling in love :)
23. Goodnight kisses and hugs
24. Sometimes doing nothing!
But what's MOST important is
25. God. Period.

I might add some, we'll see!

What's happening....

I figured it was about time to do another post (ok, so it's past time, oh well...)

This time of the year is usually one of my favorite times. I love the weather, being outside, wearing flip flops, and everything that goes with spring. Although it has been on the cold side so far, I have had a good spring! Just a few things that have been the highlights:

1. Looking for "signs of spring" all around the school with my students. Who knew they would be so excited about that? Who also knew that ANYTHING could be a sign of spring according to 4 year olds? Hehe, I love them. Teaching has been an adventure every day. If nothing else it is never EVER boring!

2. Clemson baseball. Although this team doesn't seem to quite live up to last year's team (well at least not yet) sitting outside and cheering for the tigers is still one of my all time favorite things to do. 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4................. GO TIGERS!

3. Long walks on the beach- or anywhere: I like doing that with anyone who'll go with me!! We've been walking a mile every day with my class at school, but I'd like to have some different scenery.

4. Easter. I always love Easter, it's such a great time to remember how awesome God is. I try not to make it the only time that I remember that, but it is certainly a huge reminder. This year I have to admit that I complained about the plans my church had for Easter Sunday. Our pastor had a vision of having all of our services and campuses combine for one big worship service at the old G-braves stadium. I complained about the fact that it was going to be cold, and about the fact that no one was really going to be able to get dressed in thier cute Easter outfits. Obviously God had His own ideas about it. It ended up being a perfect day, and the service was pretty awesome. It hit me at one point that it wasn't about what we were wearing, or the place we were at. God wanted us to worship, and He provided the circumstances where we could all get together and do just that!

5. Spring Break: YAY! I don't think I have EVER been so ready for a break as I am this year. My kids and I were both just about at our breaking point last week, so the break came at just the time it needed to. I feel like such an old person- but I am pretty much taking this week to relax and diffuse. No exciting plans as of yet- but for some reason that sounds nice to me.

6. Spending time with loved ones :): That is always a highlight for me. I have been able over the past couple of weeks to see my immediate and extended family to celebrate Easter. I love you guys- I want to see you more often! I've also gotten to see my brother and sister-in-law a few times. I've missed them, so that was really nice. I forget how hilarious you guys are!! I've also gotten to spend some time with David- of course that is always the best!! I love you sweet! Hopefully the time with friends is coming soon-- who knows

I will try to update again soon- no promises :) PEACE out--

Just a Random Update

I'm trying to do a better job of updating frequently, so here goes nothing...

Last Wednesday I finally finished my Creative Curriculum training. This was training in the program that I use to teach my wonderful four-year-olds. I'll be quite honest... out of the 9 days of training that were spread through a few months, I learned just about nothing. The trainers all seemed to be really unorganized and waste a lot of time. Something they, no doubt, would not tolerate from us teachers. I hate that the state paid for me (along with about 40-50 other people) to have such useless training. Oh well, maybe I did learn a thing or two and I just don't realize. Nevertheless, I glad to be done with it.

This weekend has been a fun one :) Friday night I went with David to Pendleton to visit for a little while with his family. We hung out, even walked a little path and star gazed for a bit, then had Mac's for dinner... yummy in the tummy :) After that we just kind of talked an mingled. Most of my time was spent at the "salon"-- Emma Kate, David's youngest cousin wanted to play with and fix my hair. I think she had fun with that :) Those three girls have lots of energy. Makes me wanna be a kid again-- such fun!

Today (Saturday) I actually slept in until nearly 11:00. This is a great accomplishment for me. I have to get up at 5 on weekdays, which usually causes me, out of habit, to wake up pretty early even on weekends. I musta been tired! Other than that, I've kind of just taken some time to unwind and relax today. One of those "mental health" days that all teachers have to take every once and a while. I did manage to get a little (and I mean little) work done on lesson planning. I'll finish tomrrow.

So we're supposed to get some questionable weather again this week. Maybe it'll be a winter storm. I can guarantee that If I wish and hope for it again it wont happen. Kinda the whole "watched pot never boils" thing going on. So i'll try to just forget about it and let it take its course. (right-- you know I really want it to snow!)

I'll leave you with this bible verse. I have so many friends who are first year teachers, and David is just beginning his student teaching. As I was starting to teach I saw these verses in the bible. They were an encouragement to me. Verse two is one I use to this day as a prayer in the morning:

1 Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
2 Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.
3 I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
Deutoronomy 32:1-4

Anna Kate and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Ever heard of the children's book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? He keeps having bad things happen to him one after another. Apparently I had one of those days today. Well, there were good parts to my day as well, as there were Alexander's. Here goes:

Early this morning my stepmom woke me up to tell me that she wouldn't be keeping sunday school this morning. That meant that I did not need to go early to help her. After this I didn't reset my alarm, so I ended up sleeping through church.

Sometime after I woke up I realized that I am losing my voice. Not sure how or why. I haven't been yelling too much or anything lately. Maybe just part of the whole "first year teacher catching EVERYTHING" scenario.

While helping keep 1-3rd graders I was walking behind the television (genius, I know) and I tripped. This caused three things to happen. Number 1, I cut the tv off, stopping the movie the kids were watching. Number two, I spilled some popcorn that I had in my hand. Finally, I caught myself with my hand and hurt my thumb. It was one of those things where it felt like jello when it went down. Pretty gross feeling. Anyway, it is incredibly sore now, I don't even wanna think of how it will feel in the morning after being still all night.

To cap the day off, I was driving home from spending the evening with David (which was wonderful, by the way. No bad part to that) and I hit a deer. It was one of those things that my parents constantly reminded me about. EVERY time I would leave the house late at night they would say "look out for deer!" So, after hearing this for about 6 years straight, I've caught on. I drive slow, at least the speed limit, at night and look for yellow spot because the deer's eyes will light up. I saw none of that tonight. It basically just happened in a split second. Before anything could be done at all, I hit it. The worst part was seeing it afterwards. Ugh, makes me sick thinking about it. Why do they choose the moment when a car is coming to run out??? I guess I'm lucky it was only one... I saw others run right behind me. Anyway, I hope the car is ok. I looked at it the best I could in the dark. I guess I'll deal with that tomorrow.

If you have one very bad day, does that mean the next one has to be very good automatically?? I sure hope so!

Things I've learned lately.....

I do this post every once and a while because I really like it. It makes me think about what's happened in my life lately. So these are some things I've learned. If you don't understand some of them, I could explain :)

1. Apparently I'm getting more emotional as I get older
2. 4 year olds are absolutely, positively hilarious
3. mental exhaustion is worse than physical
4. Country music never fails to make me smile... I just love it
5. I'm growing up... whether I like that or not remains to be decided
6. I do miss my brother.... wow, I hope he doesn't read this, he'd make fun :)
7. My dog is insane...I'm not kidding
8. I need to stop being so "old" and act like a 22 year old (I swear that work does it to you... I go to be way to early)
9. Cherry is STILL my favorite!
10. I miss my friends very much.... it's been WAY too long
11. When you get in your 20's all your friends start getting married... BIG realization, huh :)
12. I'm laid back, but I can be incredibly passionate (if you know me, you know what I'm passionate about!)
13. Sometimes I just need to shut my big mouth :) (long story... it happens a lot)
14. Boys are still confusing... yes, all of them
15. Finding the perfect gift for someone makes me really happy
16. Plastic is going to be the death of me... who are the guys who invented this unbreakable stuff to wrap EVERYTHING in??
17. Praising and serving God brings purpose to my life, I should seek more opportunities to do it!
18. Sleep is my friend, it's underated I tell you... underated!

That's about all for now-- peace

I've kind of given up on New Year's resolutions. One reason is, for me, they never last very long. Another reason is that I try to make "resolutions" in my life (the really important ones) as needed.... who says I have to wait until January? So I'm not gonna talk about my resolutions for the new year, more like my hopes and anticipations...

1. Become a better teacher-- as I mentioned earlier, teaching four year olds is quickly becoming a passion for me. I'll be honest, I haven't yet quite figured out if I'm good at it. I don't mean that as a "pitty party" or anything, just that I want to get through a whole school year to be able to reflect and see if I think I did a good job or not. I have some great colleagues working with me that are nice enough, and professional enough, to give good constructive criticism. Luckily they haven't had anything bad to say yet, but I know that they will let me know if something arises that I need to fix or improve on. This is one thing that I enjoy about teaching so much more that being in college. People actually want to HELP you become better instead of constantly nag about stupid stuff, no joke... it's amazing :) So, all that to say I hope to become a better teacher each day and find out at the end if I wanna start all over again with the 4's in August!

2. Get more involved in church functions: I must confess that 2006, more than any year so far, has been a bad year for me in this area. I can blame it on many things... tough times student teaching, graduating, new career, busy life, etc. The truth is that nothing is more important than my relationship with God and serving Him. I didn't make that extremely evident last year... I'm going to try this year to do a better job.

3. See more of my friends: It's funny, this never seems to be a problem when you're in college. I saw most all of my friends on a daily basis, or weekly at the very least. When you graduate that becomes a different story. I feel like I haven't spent time with friends in forever. So, I hope to do that some more this year. Many of them have moved away-- Atlanta, Columbia, Tampa. Hmm, I think this means 2 things. #1- ROAD TRIPS :) and #2- I need to work on rebuidling some relationships with friends around here and make some new ones!

4. Doing some fun, adventurous things: No one would know it by my life right now, but I'm actually a fairly adventurous person, and I love to have fun. Jumping out of a plane, no.... but I am ALWAYS up for traveling, speed, roller coasters, water sports, and trying new things. I feel like I've spent the last semester of college up until now worrying about teaching in some way or another. I want to make a point of getting out and doing some exciting things this year. I'll have to give this one a little more thought, I'm not sure what those things are yet. Got any suggestions???

5. Moving out?? I put a question mark on this one because I am still in thought and prayer about this. I still live with my parents, if you can't tell. There comes a point, I'm sure lots of people have been there, when you feel like it's time to move out. I'm not sure exaclty when this will be, but I can say that I am thinking about it. On one hand, saving money is important. Living with the parents allows me to do this. On the other, is anyone really ever financially ready to be on their own? I think most people just usually end up having to do it and take that leap of faith anyway.

6. Honesty: This is a "hope" for this year... but it's probably the closest to a resolution that we're gonna get. Before I say it, I wanna clear things up. I don't have a habit of lying or anything like that. The thing that I wanna do this year is make an effort to be more honest with people about my feelings. I want to say what I want and what I feel. Of course I don't want to be mean about it. I just have a tendecy to say the words "It doesn't matter to me" or "that's ok, don't worry" or, "whatever you want, I don't care" a lot. I'm sure these wont go out the window completely. Old habits die hard. I hope I can work on it at least a little.

These are just some of my hopes for the year. Prayers are appreciated for what I am sure will be a challenging, yet rewarding year!!

Fun, Fall, and Frenzy :)

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!

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

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

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!

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

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!

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!!!!