The 28th Dear ______ Post

Dear Plane Tickets for Christmas, I bought you this week. ...so thankful to have the opportunity to go back at Christmas this year. AND you are the tickets that will get me back to AL to meet my niece so this trip will be extra special. Oh my word! I am sooooo excited! :)

Dear Grad School, You started back this week. And as much as I love you, I'll be sooo glad when May comes and I can say that I am finished! Although, it does still make me a little sad that I'm going to miss my graduation from you. I worked that long and hard and I can't make that public statement of "I'm finished!!!" Maybe that's a good excuse for having a party here. Hmmm... I could totally throw myself a party :)

Dear Internet in My Apartment, You're still not working after being here 3 weeks. Boo you :(

Dear August, It seems like you flew by. See you again in next year.

Dear Slice of Cake, You were what one of my students brought to me Thursday morning, saying his mom had made cake and wanted me to have some. Thank you to his mom :) It was so yummy and a perfect snack that morning!

Dear Family the Invited me for Dinner Thursday Night, Thank you for the dinner invite , the delicious meal (and leftovers sent home with me), and the time spent getting to know your family. Your girls are hilarious and sweet and smart and a joy to have in my class :)

Dear 5 Kilos, You're how much flour I bought this week. I have big baking plans. ...can't wait! :)

Dear Mud, Slipping in you caused me to fall on my way home Wednesday night, leaving my knee black, blue, and bloody. And it hurt. ...a lot! :(

Dear Dictionary, Who would've known that you'd be "the most funnest book ever to read," according to  one of my first graders :)

Dear Skype, You allowed me to see my niece for the first time (other than via an emailed picture or video). So Skype, you're pretty awesome in my book :)

Dear Alabama Football, You start tomorrow. Roll Tide! I even made a video of my students showing their BAMA spirit. Check it out on Facebook. It's pretty awesome! Of course then their PE teacher had to talk them into saying "Go Blue" to me when I picked them up this afternoon. :)

The 27th Dear ____ Post

Dear Kenya, Sorry to have gotten your hopes up, but you won't be seeing me in April after all. The dates were wrong. You're actually the last week of March and during a time when I can't go. Don't worry. I'm a tiny bit sad too...

Dear London Wall Hanging, I totally heart you! Why? 1) You're of scenes from London. 2) You're pretty. 3) You were on sale. Thanks for going with my living room decor perfectly! :)

Dear Friend Leaving Dakar Tomorrow Night, I'm going to miss you so much! I truly feel blessed to have gotten to know you so much over the past two years and to be able to call you the closest friend I have here. Thanks for being such an awesome friend. Boo to people leaving and having to say goodbye :(

Dear Watch (the noun, not the verb), I've worn you quite a bit this week. This is new for me. I've never really worn watches that much. Maybe I'm finally becoming a grown-up :)

Dear Mountain Dews, When I got back to Dakar, a friend gave me a few of you for my birthday. I finished the last of them up this past Saturday. And as much as I love your yellowy caffeinated goodness, I'm going to refrain from getting more. The caffeine and sugar content don't mix with my need to eliminate a lot of caffeine and sugar from my diet. So, I'm sorry Mountain Dew, but I must say Au Revoir :(

Dear Korite, You were this past weekend. You mark the end of Ramadan. You are the day when Muslims break their month-long fast. I pray that God will show Himself to them and quench their spiritual hunger like they quenched their physical hunger on Korite.

Dear Stuffed Peppers, I made you for dinner the other night and oh my goodness... You tasted amazing! I've had you before, but wanted to try a new (my own made-up) recipe. Seriously, major YUM points for this one :) And I'm making you again next week for some co-workers.

Dear Windows, When you're open and the fans are blowing, it actually gets kind of chilly in my living room.

Dear Cut on my Pinky Finger, I realize you aren't very big, but man, do you hurt!

Dear Entertaining, I've done you quite a bit here lately. 3 times this past week...and as of now, 2 times this coming week. I love being able to have people over so often. ...love it! :)

Dear Funniest Conversation EVER, You happened this week with one of my first graders. Let's just say this little boy needs to learn that a certain monthly occurrence will never ever happen to him, no matter what thoughts he has on the subject. ...seriously, most hilarious conversation I've ever had with a kid :)

Dear Small Plate, When I accidentally dropped you the other night, I expected you to break. However, I didn't expect how many pieces you'd break into. Oh my word. There were pieces literally from one end of my apartment to the other. How was that possible?

The 26th Dear ______ Post

Dear Change (...as in coins), Why are you such a precious commodity around here? The cashiers at the store never seem to have enough. Most people, including myself, seem to want to hoard it. What's the deal?

Dear Kenya, I found out last week that our staff has permission to go to the ACSI (the group my school is accredited under) conference being held in your city in April. How cool would that be! Now to find the money to pay for it... :)

Dear Word of God, How awesome is it that I get to teach about you every day?! 

Dear Blessings, I've received a few of you this week. ...things that I was wanting, not necessarily needing, but God still sent them my way anyway :)

Dear Mosquitos, You have come back with a vengeance. I guess you're upset that I didn't tell you I'd moved. Well, there was a reason for that. See, to be honest, I just don't like you. I'm sorry, but it's true. So since you're not welcome here, why don't you leave? Thanks. :)

Dear Sweating, I don't like you. Feel free to tell your partner in crime, Humidity, that he can leave any time now.

Dear Haircut, I really need you. I just don't know who to go to... Any Dakar people read this blog and have any recommendations?

Dear 4:30 a.m., Yes. You do exist. I was surprised too. :) Anywho - you're my new weekday wake up time. That gives me time to go walking at 5 and be back by 6 to spend some time with my Jesus before heading to work for the day. I'm not going to lie. It's hard to get up that early. But it really does seem to make my day so much better.

Dear 3 Day Weekend, You're this weekend. Yay for a day off from school! :)

Dear Unpacking in My Apartment, I still haven't finished you. Arranging my classroom took top priority. But I'm hoping that I'll be able to finish you this weekend thanks to it being a 3-day weekend. 

Dear Classroom, I finished getting you ready for the first day of school at 5:45ish the evening before school started. I was so pleased. I really was happy with how my "buggy" vision turned out :)

Dear Funny Kid Stories, I don't have any from this week. Normally kids provide lots of quality funny entertainment. So what's up with all the seriousness? :)

The Back to School ABCs Version of a Dear _____ Post

Dear Alphabet Poster, I got a new version of you this year. You're bright, colorful, and fun. You're something we go over daily in 1st grade and the kids love it. It's funny to see how excited they get to recite the alphabet. :)

Dear Bugs, You're the decorating theme that I chose for my classroom this year. Since I found out I was having more boys than girls, I thought it'd be an appropriate choice. And I must say, it turned out pretty cute :)

Dear Classroom, This will be our third year together. I love your layout, your location, and the memories you've given me. Your only negative is the need for more storage. But that's ok. I've found ways to work around that issue :)

Dear "Dear _____ Posts," I'm guessing that starting this coming Saturday, you're going to include more amusing items. There's something about being with a group of 6 year olds 7 hours a day, 5 days a week that gives you quite the assortment of funny stories. :)

Dear English, This is the first year that the majority of my students will be speakers of you. All but two will come in speaking different levels of English this year. This will be a new experience for me :)

Dear First Day of School, You are tomorrow. You are my absolute most favorite day of school! I'm ready! Bring on the fun! :)

Dear God, Thank you so very much for giving me the privilege to teach these children. I can't wait to see how they grow academically, spiritually, and physically this year. 

Dear Handprints, You're going to be included on a decoration project for my classroom. It'll be a secret to the parents for when they come to Open House on Friday night. There's nothing like finger painting (handpainting?) on the second day of school :)

Dear Ice Cream, I'm thinking about treating myself to you this coming weekend as a "finished the first 3 days of school" celebration. Anyone in Dakar want to join me? :)

Dear Jungle Safari, You're the decoration theme used by one of my co-workers in her classroom. ...which has turned out very cute, I might add. I may have to "steal" her idea in the future :)

Dear Kid at Heart, I am you. Honestly, aren't we all? How boring would life be if we didn't acted like a kid every now and then :)

Dear Lesson Plan Template, I used a couple different versions of you to create the one that I'll be using this year. I think I'll really like you too. I was able to create you to include the exact amount of space I'll need for each subject. ...and ideal lesson plan template for someone that teaches 9 different subjects a day :)

Dear Movie Night, You're Friday night after Open House. I'm looking forward to you because you'll include a fun movie, free popcorn, and time to relax with friends. Of course, you're going to make for an extremely long work day, so I may fall asleep during the movie. But that's ok. You'll still be fun :)

Dear New Supplies, I always love getting here at the beginning of school and getting all of my new supplies sorted out. It's always so much fun! :)

Dear Open House, You're Friday night. I always look forward to you. You're my first chance to have a long(er) chat with my students' parents. You're my first chance to show off their children's work. You're the first chance to brag (more) on their kids too. 

Dear Parents of My Students, Thank you for trusting me to teach and care for your children. I look forward to working with you over the course of this school year. 

Dear Questions, My students typically ask me a zillion and one of you a day. And quite often, they're quite hilarious :)

Dear Recess, You're a part of the day that elementary teachers love. Sometimes you're our only planning time in a day. Sometimes you're the chance to finally take a potty break. Oh and the kids love you too! :)

Dear Students, I know some of you already, so that'll be nice. But I know there will also be a few new faces. I know this is going to be a great year. I can't wait!

Dear Tomorrow, You're the first day of school. I'm praying that you are an awesome day!

Dear Untied Shoes, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be seeing quite a few of you over the next few months. 

Dear Velcro Dots, You're included in my behavior plan this year. Students have the chance to gain and lose "spots" on their ladybugs. If you get 4 spots, you had perfect behavior all day. If you get 0 spots, your behavior wasn't that great. 

Dear Waking Up Early, Boo to you! :(

Dear eXcited, You're how I'm feeling about school starting tomorrow. Woohoo! :)

Dear Yellow Door, You're the signal for my first graders to know they're at the right room. I love your bright, cheerful color. Plus, you went great with my decoration theme this year. DA people, you should come check out the "Buggy" first grade room :)

Dear Zzzz's, The days of sleeping late and catching as many of you as possible or over :( ...back to waking up at 4:30 a.m.

The 25th Dear ____ Post

Dear Birthday, You were this past Monday. I so enjoyed you. I got to spend time with a lot of the people that mean the most to me. I got nice presents. And I got a lot of love :)

Dear Sweet Home Alabama, I so very much enjoyed visiting you this summer. I'll see you again in December. :)

Dear Trip Back to Dakar, You were nice. ...possibly even the best yet. My flights all went well. I moved through the customs line quickly. And my luggage was the first ones off the conveyer belt. This was quite possibly the quickest I've ever gone through this airport.

Dear Dakar, It's good to be back. I'm enjoying being back at work and having more of a routine every day. I'm enjoying being back with my co-workers and friends. And I'm enjoying being back in the city that I love so much :)

Dear Unpacking, I started you the day I landed and have done a little bit each day since getting back. I didn't realize how much stuff I have here until I started unpacking it. :)

Dear New Apartment, I love you. ...just so ya know :)

Dear Summer Break, You were so nice. I really enjoyed you. But all good things must come to an end and you, Summer Break, ended Thursday.

Dear Classroom Blog, I'm thinking about starting you for this school year. What do you guys think? I wonder if it'd be a good idea. Hmm... Decisions, decisions :)

Dear Pink Lemonade, I love you. In fact, you may be my new favorite drink. The problem is that you're not available in this country. So I'm having to make sure to ration you instead of going crazy. Imagine that...going crazy drinking too much pink lemonade. I'm a wild one, huh? :)

Dear Sweet Neighbor, Thank you for bringing me a yummy piece of homemade apple pie and ice cream last night. You said you brought it as a treat to keep my strength up while unpacking. :) How sweet are you! :)

Dear Co-Workers that are Friends, Not everyone can say they have these types of people in their lives, but I do. ...such a blessing :)

Dear 8, You're the number of students I'll have this year. ...7 at the beginning and 1 more in January. I am so excited about this school year and ready to meet this new group of students.

Dear Bambara, You're the ONLY language spoken by 2 of my students (siblings) this year. This is a tribal language primarily spoken in the West African country of Mali. I'm hoping to learn a few phrases before students start on Wednesday. I've been told there are a couple DA employees that speak the language, so maybe I can have a quick language lesson. :)

Dear Proud Aunt, Yep. That's me. :)

And speaking of which....

Dear Blog Readers, I'd like to introduce you to my niece, Daisy Olivia Nichols. My sister-in-law went into labor just a few hours after I left coming back to Dakar and Daisy was born, Wednesday, August 8th, as beautiful as can be :)

        

                              

27 Things I Plan To Do In My 27th Year

27 Things I Plan To Do This Year

1. Unpack EVERYTHING in my new apartment. (Ask anyone that's lived with me before...I tend to wait a LONG time to do this.)
2. Organize my apartment (...and keep it organized). 
3. Meal plan every week.
4. Learn to make bread. (This will help me achieve #17.)
5. Eat healthier.
6. Fix/freeze at least one large meal every weekend (that can be eaten over the course of the next week).
7. Eat breakfast EVERY day.
8. Exercise at least 5 days a week.
9. Set goals for weight loss and celebrate successes. (I know me. If I give myself incentives for reaching goals, I'll do better.)
10. Organize my classroom (...and keep it organized). 
11. Stay "on top of" grading. Have one day every week set aside, to be devoted to grading.
12. Upload pictures to Facebook sooner to keep my family happier. :)
13. Memorize a Bible verse (or passage) every week.
14. Spend more time journaling.
15. Read more books for fun.
16. Entertain more. (...once every other week, maybe). I love entertaining, so this one should be easy! :)
17. Save more money.
18. Don't overdo it on spending when in the States. (...so hard when you're only around that stuff once or twice a year) :)
19. Be more intentional about writing notes/letters to people. (...not just e-mails).
20. Learn to be ok with sometimes saying "no." (...I tend to agree to do/help out with a lot...often at my own expense/well-being.)
21. Call my grandparents more often. (...and visit them more when in the States)
22. Research the presidential candidates. Learn about each of them in order to make a more informed/intelligent vote. 
23. Read more news than just YAHOO news. Learn about the world in more than short articles with pictures on Yahoo :)
24. Spend less time on Facebook. 
25. Try new foods (...especially ones I call "gross" and have either never tried or haven't tried in a long time).
26. Treat myself. (...not bragging, but I do tend to do a lot for others and rarely anything for myself).
27. Prioritize sleep. Quit staying up too late or getting up way earlier than needed. Just enjoy the rest :)

The 24th Dear _______ Post

Dear 2, You're exactly how many days are left until my birthday. Bring it on 27th year. I'm ready :)


Dear Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting, You are my favorite type of cake. I had you at my pre-birthday party with my family this past Tuesday. Oh my word...so yummy! :)


Dear 4, You're exactly how many days are left until I land in Dakar. I know I've said this a lot, but the time has just flown by this summer. It seems like just yesterday that I landed in BIrmingham, ready to start my summer vacation.


Dear Daisy (my niece), I'm going to miss your birth. I hate that I'll be missing so much of your life. You'll be about 4 months old before I get to meet you for the first time. I know it could be so much worse, so I should just be grateful. And I am. I really am. But I'm still a little sad too. But Daisy, your parents and grandparents have promised me lots of pictures. So I'm going to hold them to that :)


Dear Packing, I so very much dislike you. ...so much so, that I'm including my sentiments 2 weeks in a row :) And now that I'm still trying to figure out how to fit 3 suitcases worth of stuff into only 2 suitcases, I've decided that packing should be made into an Olympic sport. ...great idea. Don't you think? :)


Dear Unpacking, I'm actually looking forward to you. I know there is a LOT for me to do, since I have my suitcases from this summer plus all of my stuff from my old apartment (that was moved after I left in June). But, I'm looking forward to it. I can't wait to unpack, organize, and decorate :)


Dear Tomorrow, You're bringing me two services. ...one in the a.m. and one in the p.m. ...both of which I'm really looking forward to. I always love being able to share my heart for Senegal, Dakar Academy, and the people I get to work with!


Dear Chik-fil-A, You've been in the news a lot the past couple weeks. I've always appreciated the Christian values held by your founder. I've always appreciated that he chose to have you be closed on Sundays. And I now appreciate his honesty and courage in stating his beliefs, even though he probably knew the reaction that would receive. 


Dear Bugs, Your the decorations theme I've chosen for my classroom this year. Since the choices available at any stores I looked at were ridiculously expensive, I chose to just make my own. I can't wait to see it all put up and ready for the kids to enjoy :)


Dear Goodbyes, I know I've said this before, but you're sooooo not fun. You're the one part of my job that I dislike. :(


Dear Soul Print by Mark Batterson, Thanks to an iTunes gift card, I was able to purchase you yesterday. I really enjoyed another book by your author (Circle Maker) and I think I'm going to enjoy you as well. I'm going to be reading through you with a friend once I'm back in Dakar. I'm excited to start reading you Soul Print. 


Dear 27, You're how many "resolutions" I'm making on Monday. I've made a list of 27 things I plan to do in my 27th year. ...sort of like New Year's Resolutions, but on my birthday. ...smart idea, right? I know. I'm brilliant :)