December Photo Challenge

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Thankful Thursday #7

On this Thursday, I'm thankful for...

• the knowledge that exactly 21 days from today, I'll get to see my family again and FINALLY, FINALLY meet my niece! :)
• someone else teaching/leading Kids Club this week, which gave my already poor voice a little break.
• finally getting a little sleep last night thanks to God and the inventor of codeine :)
• hearing one of my girls reading the Christmas story to a few friends during buddy reading.
• an awesome Thanksgiving break.
• grad school almost being over for the semester.
• finding a certain type of Christmas ornaments I'd been wishing I had.
• a new recipe (broccoli cheddar soup) to try out tonight.
• cooler temp's for a change. ...low 80s - WOOHOO! :)

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

The Thanksgiving Edition of a Dear _______ Post

Dear Thanksgiving, You were last week. You were really really nice this year. …so nice in fact, that you warranted having an entire Dear ____ post in your honor.

Dear Delicious, You would be the word I'd use to describe the food I had on Thanksgiving day. There was so much food and it was so delicious! :)

Dear Quite the Mix, You would be the words I'd use to describe the people attending our Thanksgiving meal. There were people from USA, Argentina, and Japan. There were missionaries. There was a Peace Corps girl. There was a nurse. There were English teachers. There were 24 in all if I counted correctly. We were indeed quite the mix, but a fun mix :)

Dear Saint-Louis, You're where I went for Thanksgiving. We drove up Thursday morning and left Saturday afternoon. I think you're a great city. You have beautiful, old architecture. You have all the cool African items for sale. You have beautiful people. You have beautiful water surrounding you. I could keep going... :)

Dear Family I Rode With, I really enjoyed the time getting to know your family a little better, getting to talk with you and your kids, and even hearing them sing the same song over and over. Ha! Seriously, I had a really great time this weekend and am so glad I got to spend this time with y'all. Thank you again!

Dear Cool, You're how I felt most of the weekend. The temperature was so much cooler in Saint-Louis than in Dakar. It was so nice. ...so nice, that I didn't even have to turn the A/C on one night in my hotel room.

Dear Boat Ride, I was nervous about you. I'm not a big fan of boats. ...especially ones that go out in the middle of the ocean and whose drivers don't give you a life jacket. But I actually enjoyed you. Thanks for being fun.

Dear Pain Au Chocolat and Tea, After having you two mornings in a row for breakfast from a cute little bakery on the island, I've decided I want you to be my breakfast every day. Ah...that would be nice :)

Dear Granny Smith (a game), I gave into the peer pressure given to me by the teenagers I was with and bought you for my ipod. I couldn't figure out why a game would be such a big deal. But I do now. You're pretty fun and challenging too.

Dear Cutest Skirt EVER, I bought you for my niece while in Saint-Louis. Oh my word! I can't wait to see it on her. :)

November Photo Challenge Days 19-25

In case you're wondering what the November Photo Challenge is... This is a challenge to take a photo a day, using a prompt given here. I'll post my photos for the week every Sunday. Feel free to play along. :)

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Day 19's prompt was "Something awesome..."

These two pictures were both awesome in different ways, so I chose to include both of them :)

This note is from one of my students and says, "Miss Nichols, you're a great teacher and you're great teaching us. Gabriel" So it is "totally-melts-my-heart" awesome :)

We were making handprint turkeys. When I applied the brown paint to his hand, he asked, "Miss Nichols, are you sure this is paint?" I said, "Yes, I'm sure. Why?" He then said, "I don't know. It looks a lot like poop. And I'm not allowed to paint with poop." It took all I could not to laugh hysterically. So this picture is "kids-say-the-darnest-things" awesome :)

Day 20's prompt was "Work/Play..."

We're mastering the hard work of addition with fun pattern blocks! :)

Day 21's prompt was "What You Wore..."

I've all of a sudden developed a love for painting my fingernails. Now if I could find some polish remover in this country...

Day 22's prompt was "Grateful..."

Happy Thanksgiving! I was so grateful to spend Thanksgiving (and the next 2 days) with an awesome group of missionaries serving here in Senegal and elsewhere. ...not to mention being grateful for all the amazing food we had! :)

Day 23's prompt was "Black..."

While on our AGWM "team outing," we saw this guy at our lunch stop. I thought he looked so cute, until I looked at a zoomed in shot of his face and realized how mean his face looked. Ha! :)

Day 24's prompt was "A Sound You Heard..."

I rode back to Dakar with an awesome A/G family. And towards the end of the ride (for close to an hour), we played Catch Phrase. Between 3 adults and 3 teenaged boys giving clues, the laughs were flowing the whole time :) And since my camera's battery was dead...thanks to here for the picture :)

Day 25's prompt was "Sky..."

I went to my school to do a little work this evening and when I looked up at the sky, this is what I saw. The sky was so clear and even though it was still light outside, you could see the moon. It was so beautiful!

The 40th Dear _____ Post

Dear 26, You're how many days are left 'til I get to see my family again and finally meet my niece! I can't wait! :)

Dear Story of the First Thanksgiving, I read you to my kids this week. They asked me to read and reread that story. They loved it! Thanks for letting me teach a little of my own home culture's history to my international crew :)

Dear Thanksgiving, You were awesome! In fact, you are going to get your very own Dear ____ Post because there were so many awesome things about you I want to share. So loyal blog readers, be prepared for an awesome Thanksgiving special edition of a Dear _____ post :)

Dear Air Conditioning, You seem like such a superficial thing to talk about, but still... You were so nice to have the past few days in my hotel room. Thanks for being available. I definitely enjoyed you.

Dear New Outfit, I bought you (dress, shoes, necklace/earrings) last weekend since you were pretty cheap. Thanks for making me feel just a little more special. I loved wearing you and the way you made me feel.

Dear Texas, It turns out I won't be visiting you this December after all. After much thought and prayer, I just decided it'd be better to spend that time with my family. Maybe another time...

Dear Lemons, Life's been handing my family quite a few of you. I guess it's a good thing we all like lemonade, huh? :)

Dear Cough, I've had you for about a week now. And I think you really should leave. You were never invited here. Thanks.

Dear 8:07 p.m., You're what time it is right now. But due to the fact that I feel incredibly tired, I think I may just head on to bed. I'm such an old person. :)

Dear Alabama/Auburn Game, You come on in about 30 minutes. I could stream you online and watch you, but due to the reason stated in the previous item, I'm afraid I'm going to have to miss you. Of course, thanks to Facebook and a dad and brother that send me regular emails, I'll stay "in the know." :)

Dear 4 Day Weekend, You're almost over. You've been so much fun. ...more than I could've imagined. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thanks for being so great! I'm going to miss you when I go back to work on Monday.

Dear Things I'm Thankful For, The other night, just for fun (...and because I was bored) I decided to try and list all the things I'm thankful for. I got to 200 when I finally stopped because my hand was hurting from all the writing. I still wasn't even close to being finished. Every time I'd think I was, I'd think of more things. Thank you Lord for all you've done for me, given me, and are still doing in my life. Thank you Lord for all the people you've placed in my life in these 27 years. I'm so blessed!

Thankful Thursday #6 ... Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful for...

• my salvation.
• the Bible.
• my family.
• an awesome job.
• an amazing class.
• a few really close friends.
• awesome co-workers.
• awesome bosses.
• family away from family here in Dakar.
• an amazing group of people that support me through prayer, encouragement, and finances.
• not having to be alone on Thanksgiving.
• being able to eat turkey on Thanksgiving (a luxury here).
• that I work in a country where I can be open with what I'm doing.
• an amazing apartment.
• running water (when it's working).
• electricity (when it's working).
• a battery inverter for when the power goes out, so I can still run a fan and other small things.
• my Christian heritage.
• my home country being a free country.
• knowing that I'll be able to see my family again exactly 4 weeks from today!
• knowing that I'll FINALLY be able to meet my niece exactly 4 weeks from today!

November Photo Challenge Days 12 - 18

In case you're wondering what the November Photo Challenge is... This is a challenge to take a photo a day, using a prompt given here. I'll post my photos for the week every Sunday. Feel free to play along. :)

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Day 12's prompt was "Drink..."

...one of my kiddos filling up her water bottle after PE today. I love the contrasting colors in this picture!

Day 13's prompt was "Where You Slept..."

2 fans + no cover sheet or blanket = still warm ... I'll be so happy when hot season is over!

Day 14's prompt was "Man-Made..."

Today was International Taste Day at school. We had food from a lot of different countries, made by parents and men and women in the community for lunch. It was a deliciously awesome day for sure! :)

Day 15's prompt was "In Your Bag..."

I use my bag full of colored pens to make studying and note taking seem a little more fun :)

Day 16's prompt was "The View From Your Window..."

...looking out the window in my classroom.

Day 17's prompt was "The Last Thing You Bought..."

"Ituku's Christmas Journey" - I bought this book at a Christmas Bazaar held in Dakar. I can't wait to read it to my class!
*Book review found here.

Day 18's prompt was "Happened This Weekend..."

washing clothes

The 39th Dear _______ Post

Dear 33, You're exactly how many days are left until I get to see my family again and FINALLY meet my niece. I'm soooo incredibly excited for this! ...can't wait! :)

Dear International Appreciation Week, You happened this week at my school. My kids absolutely loved everything about you... the food, games, art activities, talent show, chapel service... everything! Thanks for making my 1st graders stay on "cloud nine" all week long :)

Dear Sore Throat, You've taken up residence in my body this week and I don't appreciate it. You weren't invited so you need to leave now. Thanks.

Dear Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, I made you for the first time the other day. You turned out pretty tasty and were pretty soothing for my sore throat. Now all I need is my mom here and I'm sure I'd feel all better in no time at all :)

Dear Black Flip Flops, You broke earlier this week. ...like unable-to-be-fixed-broke. Since you're a pair I wear quite often, this made me very sad :(

Dear Turkey, I love eating you. I'm looking forward to next week when I'll get the chance to do so.

Dear Christmas Bazaar, I'm heading out in a little while to go visit you. It's always fun to see what types of crafty things will be for sale. Plus, I still need to buy a few more Christmas gifts. So I'm hoping this'll be the day for that.

Dear Colored Pens, You make note taking and studying so much brighter and more fun.

Dear German Boxed Milk, You were the first milk I'd found in Dakar that I could stand to drink. And sadly, you're now gone. ...major sad face on this one :(

Dear Peanut Butter M&Ms, You were included in a gift basket I received at the Women's Retreat last weekend and I finally ate you this week and you definitely didn't disappoint. You are still my favorite flavor of M&Ms. ...too bad you're not sold here in Dakar. :)

Dear Overwhelmed, You're how I feel when I think of all the people and things I have to be thankful for. Seriously, I am so thankful for all God's blessed me with. I really do have it made!

Thankful Thursday #5

On this Thursday, I'm thankful for...

• the knowledge that exactly 5 weeks from today, I'll get to see my family again AND finally meet my niece! Woohoo! :)
• this past weekend's Women's Retreat and having a weekend full of good fellowship, food, and times of prayer.
• being able to have a long chat with a friend and fellow missionary at the retreat that I haven't gotten to chat with in a long time
• the privilege of teaching in such a culturally diverse school.
• International Appreciation Week at my school...a week full of fun events that my class has absolutely LOVED. 
• a class full of kids that genuinely do enjoy each other's company.
• popsicles helping my sore throat feel just a little better.
• the rare afternoon nap that gets me through a long day.
• a friend that loaned me a pair of flip flops when the pair I was wearing broke.
• plans for Thanksgiving so I don't have to be by myself.
• that my Thanksgiving plans include the consuming of turkey.
• God answering prayers in His own time, which often isn't when I want, but rather when God sees is best for me.

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

The 38th Dear ______ Post...posted a day late because I was gone this weekend at Women's Retreat

Dear 6, You're the number of weeks (minus 3 days) 'til I get to see my family again. And after this latest health scare, I'm even more ready to get there.

Dear Daddio, You are my hero and I love and miss you. That's all. :)

Dear Senegal Women's Missionary Retreat, You were this weekend. I've been looking forward to you for a while. It was so nice to get together with a lot of my fellow English-speaking missionary ladies and spend time in fellowship and worship of our Savior.

Dear Goodies from America, A friend sent you to me this week via a co-worker coming back this way. I love how I got some things I requested and then I got some things I needed but hadn't said anything. Isn't it fun how God works things out like that? :)

Dear Red Velvet Cake (from scratch), I made you for the first time this past Monday for a co-worker's birthday. And believe it or not, you were pretty tasty... :)

Dear High School Reunion, I'll be attending you this coming summer. It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years. Where did the time go?

Dear Chopped (the tv show), You're one of my favorite shows. And thanks to an iTunes gift certificate from a friend, I was able to buy the current season of you. I'm looking forward to watching the first episode tonight during dinner.

Dear 6 Hour Time Difference Between Senegal and the USA, You're actually working out better for me than your younger sibling, 5 Hr Difference, did, due to my parents' schedules. So thanks for showing up with this latest time change. I may be one of the few people living overseas that actually likes you. :)

Dear Chili, I made you for dinner the other night celebrating the soon-coming cool season here in Dakar and you were quite tasty :)

Dear Obama, (the ice cream), You're still my favorite flavor of ice cream. I guess since President Obama was re-elected, you'll stick around. Yay for that! 

Dear Obama, (the President), You were re-elected, so you'll get to live in the White House for 4 more years. Congrats. I will pray for you and I will respect you as the leader of my country.  

Dear Sad, You're how I've felt after reading the Facebook statuses of some Christians I know. I may not be his number 1 fan, but he's still my president. And the last I checked, we're supposed to pray for and respect those in authority over us. He may do things wrong. He may have messed up in the last 4 years. He may believe in things that go against the Word of God. But are we better than him? Are any of us perfect? No. Sin is sin. Now who said..."Those without sin cast the first stone..." Oh yeah, the only perfect person. I'm just saying... It makes me sad that Christians are often so quick to condemn others for voting in Obama, or to condemn Obama himself. But aren't we, as Christians, supposed to be a witness to others? Aren't we supposed to show the love of Christ to others? 

November Photo Challenge Days 5-11

In case you're wondering what the November Photo Challenge is... This is a challenge to take a photo a day, using a prompt given here. I'll post my photos for the week every Sunday. Feel free to play along. :)

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Day 5's prompt was "5 o'clock..."

At 5:00 a.m., I was (for the first time ever) making a red velvet cake from scratch. 

Day 6's prompt was "A Favorite Thing..."

This will always be one of my most favorite things...my Bible. I'm thanking God today that His promises are true!

Day 7's prompt was "Reflection..."

When I looked in the mirror in my living room/kitchen area this morning, this is what I saw. There's a large bottle of water on the table that will have to be used to wash the dirty dishes left in the sink. We've had major water cuts the past week, leaving my building to only having running water in the wee hours of the morning. Boo to that!

Day 8's prompt was "Something You Do Everyday..."

Every night I fill up a water bottle (using water from my water filter) and then freeze it for work the next day. 

Day 9's prompt was "Small..."

We did Jellybean Math in 1st Grade today. They love these little candies :)

Day 10's prompt was "Can't Live Without..."

This card was in a gift basket I got at the Women's Retreat this weekend. And I thought it was perfect for today's prompt. I can't live without my God. He gives me hope and joy and peace. He gives me the gift of His Holy Spirit. I just can't imagine life without Him. *And since it's blurry, the verse is Romans 15:13 - May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as your trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Day 11's prompt was "Night..."

...watching a new episode of Chopped while eating dinner.

Thankful Thursday #4

On this Thursday, I'm thankful for...

• my dad making it through a heart attack and subsequent heart surgery earlier this week.
• the knowledge that exactly 6 weeks from today, I'll get to see my family again!
• the knowledge that exactly 6 weeks from today, I'll get to FINALLY meet my niece!
• a Women's Retreat this coming weekend with my fellow missionary ladies serving in Senegal :) 
• being able to take a Personal Day on Tuesday to finally get caught up on rest and grad school assignments.
• the hottest month of the year (in Senegal) finally being over.
• finally being able to get my hair cut this past Friday.
• the knowledge that Thanksgiving is only 2 weeks away. Bring on the turkey! :)
• the knowledge that Christmas is only 47 days away :)
• a friend letting me use her shower when I didn't have any water.
• another friend letting me use her washing machine when I still didn't have water.
• people "back home" that continually support me through prayers, love and encouragement, and finances. 

What are you thankful for this Thursday?

November Photo Challenge Days 1-4

In case you're wondering what the November Photo Challenge is... This is a challenge to take a photo a day, using a prompt given here. I'll post my photos for the week every Sunday. Feel free to play along. :)

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Day 1's prompt was "The letter C..."

Since I forgot my camera at home and couldn't think of anything on my own that started with the letter C, I borrowed these pictures from my brother and sister-in-law of my niece in her costume. Isn't she the cutest ladybug ever?! :)

Day 2's prompt was "Color..."

I bought this canvas print not long after moving into my new apartment. I love the bright red! ...not to mention it's pictures from my favorite vacation (...maybe city) EVER :)

Day 3's prompt was "Breakfast..."

Frosted Wheats!!! I love love love these! And they're usually ridiculously expensive here but I finally found a cheaper box, so I grabbed it really quick before the store could change their mind and raise the price again :)

Day 4's prompt was "TV..."

I watched "Sweet Home Alabama" (my "I'm feeling homesick" movie) while eating breakfast this morning.

The 37th Dear _____ Post

Dear October, It was great hanging out with you. See you again in 362 days :)

Dear Wedding Proposal, I received you this past Saturday. While it was indeed sweet that you said "but you need a husband to take care of you since you have a pain in your foot," I still had to decline. Thanks for the laugh though :)

Dear Christmas Travel Playlist, During my spare time this week, I've been working on you. Of course you contain all of my Christmas music. But since I'll be making a roundtrip transatlantic flight, I figured I'd need a few more songs to use up my time. So you've turned into quite the eclectic mix of songs playlist. I can't wait to start listening to you.

Dear 7 weeks (minus 2 days), You're how long I have left before meeting my niece. I can't wait! :)

And speaking of my niece...

Dear Daisy, I got to skype with you and your Granny the other day while she was there baby-sitting you. I want to thank you for looking straight at the camera and smiling and pretending to listen to me. You are pretty awesome Little One. ...pretty awesome, indeed.

Dear Kids Club this Week, You were great! Everyone seemed to have a ball! I'm always so tired when I leave, but I always see those smiles and remember why it's so worth it. These kids are amazing! :)

Dear 1 Peter 4:7, I love you and am so thankful that you're true!

Dear Fall Play, I'm going to watch you tonight be performed by my students from my school. The name of the play is The Clumsy Custard Horror Show and the little I saw at the dress rehearsal the other night was pretty hilarious. So I'm excited for tonight's performance.

Dear Sore, You're how my foot still feels. It's been a week now. I'd appreciate it if you'd go away...

Dear Grad School, You're kicking my tail right now. I feel like I'm struggling to keep my head above water at times. It seems like every time I get caught up another big, hard assignment knocks me back down. ...frustrating! BUT on the bright side, I'll be finished with you this coming May and that feels incredibly awesome :)

Dear Water, You went out in my building yesterday and you're still not back (and the rumor mill says it could be out all weekend).. Can I just say that you came at an incredibly awful time? I really wanted (needed) a shower last night because 1) I got a haircut yesterday. 2) my hands were stained from an art project I did with my class. 3) It's incredibly dusty/sandy this time of year in Dakar. and 4) I have to do quite a bit of baking and cooking tomorrow... I used up all the water I had in water bottles last night except for a tiny bit for brushing my teeth and drinking this morning. Now I'm waiting 'til the little shop down the road will open to go buy a 10L bottle of water and then walk it back to my apartment. Oh well...at least I'm getting the exercise :)

Thankful Thursday #3

On this Thursday, I'm thankful for...

• the knowledge that I'll get to meet my niece exactly 7 weeks from today!
• a job that I love.
• a gift of banana bread from a student yesterday.
• the truth of Jeremiah 29:11.
• answered prayers.
• that Halloween's over.
• air conditioning in my classroom making these incredibly hot days not quite so unbearable.
• a class full of students that challenge (in a good way) me every single day. 
• that I haven't gotten the "bug" that's been passed through my class.
• a new book of stickers to make both grading and behavior incentives more fun :)
• a few true friends that I know I can count on to always provide a listening ear and shoulder to cry on (...and that if the roles were reversed I'd be the same way). 
• someone that makes tasty tortillas for a good price :)
• friends that invite me over (or let me invite myself) so I'm not always by myself.
• the knowledge that I'll be FINALLY finished with grad school this coming May!

What are you thankful for this Thursday?