The 19th Dear ______ Post

Dear Random Person's Internet, I'm using you right now. I had my computer plugged in, charging, when I noticed it connected to someone's internet. So as it turns out, I can connect to internet if my computer is in a certain place in the bedroom. Go figure. Anyways, I thought I'd post this week's "Dear _____" a day early due to this random internet connection. :)


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Dear Being Single, Usually I'm ok with you. I mean, I'd love to be married. Don't get me wrong. But usually the whole being single thing doesn't really get me down. Lately though, I've become majorly aware of my singleness. Maybe it's because my birthday's coming up. Maybe it's because this is the summer for weddings - with so many people I know getting married. Maybe it's because I've had a dozen or so different people ask when I'm going to "settle down and get married." Maybe it's because of another reason. I don't know. Like I said, usually I'm ok with being single, but now-a-days (as we say in the South), I don't know...


Dear Speaking at Churches, I love you. I love being able to share my heart for my work in Senegal, about working at Dakar Academy and about the people of Senegal. I'm so grateful and feel so blessed to have this perk to my job. :)


Dear 27, You are the age I'll be turning in a little over a month. It's crazy to think I'll be that old. Where did the time go?


Dear SIOP Model Lesson Plans, Wow! You're intense. But once I mastered your intensity, I decided I might like you after all. Although if I'm being honest, I don't think I'd like having to use you in lesson plans all year long. :)


Dear Temps over 100, You were the temperature at school dismissal time a couple days this week. I thought I was in America. It feels more like Africa… Where’s the cooler weather?


Dear Hurricanes, I’m not a big fan of you. …never have been. I’d appreciate it if you’d keep your storminess away from this area. In fact, I’d really appreciate it if you just wouldn’t happen anywhere. I really think Mother Nature should do away with every kind of storm or natural disaster, all together.


Dear Clarity and Guidance, You’re what I’m praying for right now. I am waiting on an answer for God and I’m trying really hard to be patient, but am not being incredibly successful at it. I wish it was easier.


Dear Arabic, You are spoken by one of my students. I shocked him when I could speak a few words. …just a basic greeting and the word for “thank you.” It’s amazing what those few words could do. The child that was so very shy and would barely speak to me, now smiles and waves when he sees me coming down the hall.


Dear Carpeted Floors, I hadn’t realized how much I missed walking on your soft niceness. My feet say thank you. …especially in the morning when I’m freezing in the early morning 80 degree temps. :)


Dear Questions about Senegal, I’m receiving a lot of you every day from the teachers I’m working with this summer. It never gets old, though. I could answer them all day long.


Dear Grad School Advisor, We finally met in person on yesterday. Thank you for meeting with me, answering questions I had, and putting my mind at ease quite a bit. 


Dear Downhill, You're how my day went yesterday. It started out great. School was pretty awesome. Kids were great. I knew I'd be able to sleep late the following day (...no school on Fridays). I had a good meeting with my grad school advisor. THEN I got a call from my mom telling me about a bad report my dad got from the doctor today. THEN something happened later that night that hurt too. I mean, what's the deal man? :)


Dear Diet Mountain Dew, I broke my no carbonated beverages rule to have you yesterday morning. You were so worth it too. 

The 18th Dear _______ Post

Dear iTunes, Thank you for the awesome musical accompaniments to my long car rides this past week (and the rest of the summer). You really make the trip not seem quite so long. :)

Dear Frozen Lemonade From Burger King, You are amazingly good! I bought you on the way to Mobile this past Sunday. You are so refreshing on my hot drive.

...and speaking of a hot drive... 

Dear A/C in My Car, Why did you feel the need to stop working right before I got back to the States? Do you realize how hot an Alabama summer is? It’s pretty close to an African summer actually. And oh my word, it’s pretty hot! Thank God for windows that roll down and breezes that last the majority of my trips. 

Dear Teachers I’ve Overheard Complaining This Week, I’m really having trouble being in an American public school, noticing all the supplies you teachers were given and then hear you complain so much every single day about the little things you do not have. While I understand it’s all a matter of perspective, it's still a little frustrating when I realize how little I have in my classroom in Dakar, as compared to what you have hear. You ladies don’t realize how blessed you truly are.

Dear Georgetown Assembly of God, I visited you Wednesday night. It was amazing the memories that came back just walking in the parking lot.

Dear Turkey Sandwiches made with Whole Wheat Bread and Yellow Mustard, I've taken you every day this past week for lunch and have loved each one. You are my favorite sandwich and I'm going to enjoy having my fill of you this summer! :)

Dear Short Skirts, After being in Dakar and being used to the “cover your knee rule” for so long, it’s hard to be back here in the US and see so many girls and women wearing such short skirts and dresses.

Dear Grad School Internship, Could you have some details start working out for a change, instead of changing daily? I really would appreciate it.

Dear Cokes (...as in all soft drinks. Remember I'm from the South where all soft drinks are known as coke.), I have not had one of you since last Sunday. I have been drinking water or tea only. Go me! 

Dear Swamp People and Gator Boys (...the t.v. shows), I'm really liking getting to watch a lot of you. I think I'm channeling my inner gator wrangler. What do you think? New career, perhaps?


Dear GPS, I had a lovely note typed out to you ready to be saved in this week's blog post. I was going to talk about how wonderful you are and how much I loved having you last Sunday on my first of many long drives I'll be making this summer. BUT you decided to stop working just as I got on the road yesterday morning heading back to my parents' house, forcing me to have to call around and get a different set of directions and try to hurry and memorize them before I headed out. So, GPS, I'm no longer going to say something good about you. After all, my mom said if I couldn't say anything nice, I shouldn't say anything at all.

Dear Roasted Garlic Rye Chips, Oh my goodness! What a great snack you are. I may or may not have bought 2 bags to take back to Dakar with me. :)

Dear Daisy Olivia (..my niece due in August), I'll be going to the first shower for you and your mommy tomorrow. I bought your gift yesterday and I must say, it's pretty cute and can't wait to see it being used by you. :)

The 17th Dear ______ Post

Dear Father's Day, You are tomorrow. I have been so blessed these past 26 - almost 27 years. I couldn't have hand-picked a better dad. My dad is such an amazing man, with an incredibly big, loving heart. He is helpful, considerate, caring, and will bend over backwards to help someone in need. He's been through so much in his life and has risen above it all. The devil has fought him hard, but thanks to an amazingly firm faith in Jesus Christ, he's risen above that. He's set the bar high and shown me an incredible example of how a godly Christian man and a husband/father should act and how I shouldn't settle for less than that. My dad is my hero and the first man that has stolen my heart. I am so blessed to call him my Daddy.

Dear 10 Year High School Reunion, Is it really possible that you will be next year? Where did the time go? I had to send in my contact info earlier this week so when the time comes, I'll be on the invite list. It's crazy to think that it's been long enough to start planning you. It seems like just yesterday we were walking across that stage.

Dear Driving, I've missed you so much. You've always been my de-stresser. It's nice to get in the car and just drive. It doesn't matter where. It's just nice to go. Of course after driving quite a bit over the course of the rest of the summer, due to my internship being rather far away, I may change my mind. :)

Dear Driving in Traffic, While I love driving in general, I do not like you. Traffic makes my blood pressure rise. Therefore, traffic = :(

Dear Clothes Shopping, I have definitely been enjoying you since being back in the States this summer. My ego's loving being able to buy all clothes 1 or 2 sizes smaller than the last time I was here. Yay for weight loss! :) ...official amount - 34 lbs lost since January 1st.

Dear Spicy Chicken Caesar Salad, You are my new favorite meal from Wendy's. I come to use their free wi-fi and wait with my mom 'til she gets off work, and need a healthier meal choice so, you were the first thing that caught my eye. And I'm glad it did. You are pretty awesome. :)

Dear Pajamas, You're meant to be worn at home, right? Why is it that so many people where you out in public? I don't think I'll ever understand this fashion "trend."

Dear Ice Water, I realize I wrote about (to?) you last week, but you deserve to be included in my Dear ___ Posts 2 weeks in a row. I am so enjoying having my fill of you at any restaurant, person's home, or gas station with fountain drinks I stop at. I love knowing I can have my fill of ice water without fear of drinking unfiltered water or ice. ...such a nice feeling! :)

Dear Price of Gas, You're going to kill me this summer since I'm having to make a few long car trips. Wow! I am thankful that you're not at $4 a gallon but man, you're high.

Dear Banana Flavored Shaved Ice, I have one word to describe your goodness - YUM! :)

Dear Childhood Memories, You've been flooding my brain this week. I made the first trip to Mobile County earlier this week for the orientation for my Master's internship. Wow - the memories that came with this trip. And I'll be heading back after church tomorrow morning. I have more memories from this area than anywhere else I lived while growing up. I love this place and the people I'll be staying with, as they're just like family! This is going to be a fun summer for sure!

The 16th Dear _______ Post

Dear Packing, I finished you early Wednesday morning, with 15 hours to "spare" before I left the country. You were not fun. But now that you're over, I can say that I'm so thankful to have done you because you forced me to sort through my stuff, get rid of some things, and only pack what I absolutely positively wanted/needed. Yay for that blessing in disguise! :)

Dear Tearful Goodbyes, I got the "joy" of experiencing you last Wednesday - first saying goodbye to my roommate & apartment I've lived with the past 2 years and then the big one - to the family I've worked with/under the past 3 years. I've never liked goodbyes. But you, tearful goodbyes, are so much worse than a regular goodbye. Ugh! :(

Dear Person that Fed Me and Took Me to the Airport Wednesday Night, Thank you again for such a nice, delicious meal and for the airport ride. You made what was going to be a very difficult night for me knowing my strong dislike for saying goodbye, into a really nice night.

Dear Whole Row of Seats to Myself, Can I just say how incredibly over-the-top excited I was to have you all to myself on my flight from Dakar to Paris?! Oh my word! You were awesome! 5 hours of me stretching out, sleeping like a baby. I slept the ENTIRE time - even through the meal. Feel free to grace me with your presence again some time. I'd love to have you again! :)

Dear "Welcome home ma'am," You were the words spoken to me by the US Customs Agent in Atlanta on Thursday. I am so happy God has called me to work in Senegal. I love living there. I love my life in Senegal. But at the same time, I am so happy and proud to be an American. And part of the reason may have been me suffering from exhaustion, but Mr. Customs Agent, those 3 words you said to me on Thursday made me a little teary eyed. :)

Dear Caffeine Free Diet Mountain Dew, It's been too long. I've missed you old friend.

Dear Ice Water from Restaurants, I'm loving being able to order you again. It's so nice being able to order you and not have to worry if you've been filtered or not.

Dear Daisy Olivia, You, my future niece, are due to be born at the end of August. Your mommy and daddy and the rest of your family (including me) are so excited and ready for you to come! It was so much fun to stop by your house the other night and have your daddy and mommy show off the clothes and other fun things you've already received.

Dear Praxis Test, You were a doozy. That, combined with jet lag, makes me a little worried about what my results will look like. But now I just need to be confident in the fact that I did my best on you.

Dear Rain, You were a nice experience today. I've missed you so much!

The 15 1/2 Dear ______ Post ... A.K.A. The I'm Procrastinating From Packing Post

Dear Packing, You're so not fun. And I'll even go as far as to say that I HATE you. I'm just sayin'.

Dear Unpacking, I like you far more than your antonym. It's so much fun to unpack a suitcase, a box, anything... I love to be able to take my time, arrange things the way I want, decorate, etc. So right now, you, Unpacking, are what's getting me through the packing of my apartment.

Dear Sorting, I've been needing to do you for a while, but just haven't wanted to. You've been good for me though. It's been nice to go through things and decide what I should keep, what I should give away, what I should trash, etc. Yay for not having to move quite so much stuff! :)

Dear Hurt Toe, I received you when you decided to collide with the wheel on one of my suitcases. And oh my word, you hurt so bad!

Dear Memories, While packing up my apartment, I keep having you, Memories, hit me in the oddest things. ...a piece of paper, a book, even a t-shirt.

Dear Bruise on my Leg, I have no clue how I got you. And I guess since you're mad at me for having no memory of our first meeting, you're taking out your painful wrath on me because bruise, you hurt so bad!

Dear Empty Water Bottles, What is this? Am I storing up for a water shortage? How'd I collect so many of you by my bed? :)

Dear Tears, I've shed quite a few of you already. Wednesday is going to be hard for a few reasons. I keep telling myself it's bittersweet. But if I'm being honest, I'm having trouble focusing on the "sweet" part of the "bittersweet." Have I mentioned that I hate goodbyes?

The 15th Dear _______ Post

Dear 2011-2012 First Graders, You were an absolutely amazing class! You were all almost always extremely well behaved. You were all very bright. You were all respectful, helpful, polite, and all those other nice characteristics. You challenged me as a teacher. You made me have to think outside the box and think of new ways to challenge you since you were always surprising me with what you already knew. You were sweet and loving, offering a zillion hugs a day or beautiful art work and letters to adorn my "Wall of Fame" in my classroom. You were always eager to learn, asking a zillion questions a day, especially your favorite one-worded question, "Why?" You were almost always excited to be at school. You made the 175 days I spent with you so enjoyable in so many ways. I feel honored and privileged that I got the chance to be your teacher.

Dear Teacher Work Days, It's so nice to finally have the chance to sort through all those papers, books, games, supplies, etc. that I've collected throughout this past year. And the best part is, I can wear comfy clothes and blast my music while I work. :)

Dear Elementary Staff Dinner, You were this past Tuesday night. It was so nice to go to a nice restaurant and be able to sit, relax, and enjoy the company of my Elementary Family. :)

Dear Green Dress, I bought you because you were 1) on sale and cheap and 2) oh so cute. I'm finally going to wear you tonight to my school's Junior Senior Banquet and I'm so excited. It's always nice to be able to dress up and feel all pretty-fied. ...and yes, I did just make up that word. :)

Dear Packing, I am almost finished with you. PRAISE JESUS for that because I definitely would not have made it without His help! That is for sure!

Dear Mom and Dad, I'll see you in 5 days! Woohoo! :) I've missed you both so much and can't wait 'til Thursday evening when I can be with you again.

Dear 9 Years, You're how long I've been out of high school. Where has the time gone?

Dear Twins, I found out today that there is a very strong possibility that I'll have not 1, but 2, sets of you in my class next year. What are the odds? :)

Dear Missionary Supervisors, You're leaving next week for 2 years - which feels a little bittersweet to me. I am so happy for you - for getting a chance to visit with family and friends back home and getting to itinerate, and share your heart for Senegal. But at the same time, selfishly, I'm sad for me. You, and your children, have been such an incredible blessing to me these past 3 years. I'm going to miss you guys so much.

Dear Goodbyes, I should be used to you by now. I went to 10 different schools before graduating high school. I got used to saying goodbye to friends and family. Did that make it any easier? No. Now, I'm having to say goodbye to friends again - some I'll see again, some I may not. And it's hard. ...so hard. This is one part of my job I don't enjoy - the goodbyes. :(