The 115th Dear ____ Post

Dear Trip to Texas, You were so nice. I really, really enjoyed you and am so thankful for the time I got to spend with my friend who I went to visit. It reminded me, yet again, how nice friendship really is. 

Dear Family Reunion, You were the other day. It was so good to see family I haven't seen in a while. Plus my nieces were the hit of our table. I mean, come on... What could be more entertaining than two adorable little girls? :)

And speaking of my nieces...

Dear Willow, You're 2 months old now. You've just recently started to smile and coo, which is supe, super cute!

Dear Daisy, You're birthday is in a week. I still can't believe you're about to be two. You look like such a "big girl" now!

Dear African Chair, I bought you in Dakar and brought you home to give to my niece for her birthday. She calls you the "big chair" since we think you're just a little too high for her to sit comfortably at the moment. But it's still super cute and I'm so glad I made that purchase!

Dear All White, You're what my principal said she wants all faculty and staff to wear next week on registration day. I may have secretly (or not so secretly) expressed my strong disdain for that color choice to my mom before resigning myself to breaking my number one fashion rule... "Elisabeth will only wear all white once in her entire life." My master plan in life had been to only purchase one white dress in my entire life - my wedding dress. But alas, when the boss makes something a requirement, you gotta do it. So thankfully, I was able to find an inexpensive white dress (and white shoes) on sale at the very first store I visited, so I didn't lose any time having to shop around and I was able to save a little money while I was at it. Score! :)

Dear New Classroom, I visited you for the first time yesterday. I'll be so happy when I can get things put away, organized, and arranged so it'll be fun and inviting and "pretty."

Dear Sitting in a Meeting from 8:30 to 3:30, You're how I'll be spending my birthday next week. Sounds fun, huh? At least it's on a topic I enjoy. ...teaching Special Education. So I know I won't be bored. And who knows... Maybe I could slyly let them know it's my birthday and they'll let us out early to celebrate. HA! :)

Dear WSFA, You're a local news station that sent a guy out to the school where I was in a meeting the other day. My claim to fame is now that I was on the news for a total of about 2 seconds. Go me! :)

Dear Solo Hospital Visit, I made you for the first time yesterday to visit a sweet little guy who's recently had emergency surgery - to check on him and pray for him... This kid was my right hand man, my little buddy in my Children's Church before I moved to Africa 5 years ago. Now he's going in the 5th grade and is almost as tall as me. But he still has that same sweet spirit as the 5 year old that followed me around, begging for us to "talk more about my best friend, Jesus, Miss Elisabeth, because I love Him so so much!" :)

Dear Disappointed, You're how I feel knowing I can't be in Springfield next week with the rest of my Senegal AGWM family. Boo to being a responsible grown-up and working since I signed a contract saying I would :(

Dear 5 Years, You're how long it's been since the first day I landed in Senegal. There are so many emotions swirling around in my brain (heart?) when thinking about this anniversary. I love being free to be what God's called me to be in the country He's called me to go to, and while I love being in America right now, I am homesick for Senegal. Ah...the feelings that go with having two "homes" :)

My One Thousand Gifts #'s 237 - 247

Each week, I highlight new items I've added to my list of one thousand gifts. These gifts aren't always big things. In fact, sometimes it's the littlest things that stick out the most. 

This week, I've added 11 new things...

#237 - a blue phone

Well hello beautiful. Thanks for having an awesome rebate which made you super cheap for me to buy this past week :)

#238 - a stack of notebooks

Thanks to the incredibly generous donation of a friend of my aunt, I was able to mark this item off my shopping list for this coming school year! I love how God provides what we need even when we tell no one (not even Him) what it is!

#239 - a home cookin' style restaurant

What a treat that was! This Alabama girl loved it! Yum! :)

#240 - lunch out with friends

I got to go out to lunch with friends after church this past Sunday and try out the above-mentioned restaurant. It was nice getting to chat with them, get to know some of them a little better, eat good food together, and just to have a chance to hang out. It was fun :)

#241 - a business that offers printing/scanning services

Since I don't have a printer, having to print/scan things can be quite the hassle. But thankfully, I was able to find a place that would allow me to do both of those. I may have had to pay a ridiculous amount to do so, but at least I got it done. Now I just need to buy a printer of my own. Anyone know where I can get one for free? :)

#242 - a recurring reminder from God

Don't you love when God has something He wants you to learn so He has this lesson brought up in many different ways, by many different people, during many different circumstances/situations? I sure do!

#243 - seeing old friends

I love running into friends I haven't seen in a while. It's always such a nice surprise and a gift that's happening more and more now that I'm back in the States for a (little) while.

#244 - time to read (for fun)

I rarely have fun to read for fun, even though I rally enjoy doing so. So having time while sitting in airports and on the plane this past Tuesday on my way to TX and today on my way back has been nice.

#245 - a vacation

...because God knew I needed a little time away to recharge :)

#246 - a week with a friend

Y'all, this is more of a huge thing, but I'm including it in this list anyways. What a huge gift (blessing) this week has been - spending time with a really good friend!

#247 - the chance to eat at Chik-fil-A

Flight delays stink big time, but thankfully mine allowed me the chance to eat a delicious grilled chicken club sandwich. Yum! 

And if you'd like to see the other items on my list of one thousand gifts, just click on the links to those posts on the right of your screen.

The 114th Dear ____ Post

Dear 23, You're how many days are left 'til my birthday. If anyone's reading this and wants to donate a substantial amount of money to the "Get Elisabeth back to Senegal" fund, in honor of my birthday, feel free to contact me :) 

Dear Last Year in My 20's, You're what I'm about to enter. Hmm... I'm not yet sure how I feel about being so close to that 30 mark.

Dear Texas, I'll see you tomorrow! I'm so excited! Although, I must say... I'm more excited to see my friend who lives there :)

Dear What a Coincidence, You're what I thought when I found out a friend is going to be on the first leg of my flight tomorrow. Seriously, what are the odds? :)

Dear Weird, You're what I think about the fact that I have to fly towards the east to Atlanta first and then turn and fly back over Alabama to get to Austin, TX. Wouldn't it make more since to just go straight to Austin?

Dear My Southern Accent, You're apparently stronger now after being back in Alabama for a month. I don't hear it, but friends have recently noticed it. I've always loved and embraced by Southernness, so I must say, this makes me happy :)

Dear Krispy Kreme, Friday was your 77th birthday. So to celebrate, Krispy Kremes everywhere had a deal going on where you could buy one dozen donuts regular price and you could get another dozen for only 77 cents. Add in a few family members and friends, some milk, and it made for quite the nice treat :)

Dear iPhone, I finally joined the current century and got you the other day :) And thankfully, I didn't break the bank to get you. Thanks to an awesome rebate offer going on right now, I was able to get you for next to nothing.

Dear Spending Time with Family, I'm so enjoying getting to enjoy you so much. Knowing that I have at least one year, possibly two, to enjoy you makes this girl's heart definitely happy!

Dear School Supplies, Someone my aunt knows was getting rid of a bunch of school supplies and when she heard about me, she decided to give them to me. How could she know that the type (and number) of notebooks she gave me was almost exactly what I was planning to buy for this coming school year? :)

Dear Food Network, Due to a lot of the nastiness on t.v. these days, you're what I end up watching the most. I'm learning all sorts of cooking strategies, recipes, and fun ideas for decorating a kitchen. I love it!

Dear Yesterday, You started off with an awesome church service, followed by lunch with a friend and her sweet family and some other people from church, a visit with my aunt and cousins to wish my aunt a Happy Birthday, and then home to pack for my upcoming trip, grilling out with my parents, and then I finished with a couple Food Network shows. All in all, I'd say you were a great day.

Dear Country Kitchen, You're the name of the restaurant where I had lunch yesterday with some friends and people from church. They raved about your "home cooking" style of food and boy, were they right. You were delicious!

Dear Yesterday's Sermon, You were spot on! I love when God works things out so the message in church is exactly what I'm currently dealing with. This topic was (is) what God's been bringing up over and over in my own personal "quiet time," in advice given by family, and in church too.

29 in my 29th

Wednesday is my 29th birthday. So, in honor of my upcoming big day, I'm posting my 29 in my 29th list. This is a list of 29 goals I hope to accomplish in my 29th year. And FYI - This list is a bit sporadic. It's not sorted by level of importance or anything like that. So without further ado...

My 29 in My 29th List...

1. Read and journal through the entire Bible. 

2. Gain new supporters (financial, prayer, etc.).

3. Go further in missions.

4. Spend as much time as possible with my family.

5. Spend time with friends.

6. Explore Alabama more.

7. Explore the U.S. more.

8. Make a t-shirt quilt.

9. Find an exercise routine I actually enjoy (and stick with it).

10. Start back running (jogging).

10. Get in better shape.

11. Lose (a lot of) weight.

12. Limit cokes (all soft drinks).

13. Drink more water.

14. Read books for "professional development" in missions.

15. Read books for "professional development" in teaching.

16. Read for fun.

17. Take more photos.

18. Finish my list of one thousand gifts.

19. Start my second list of one thousand gifts.

20. Find a good French tutor/teacher for my time in the States. 

21. Finish my year of photos and make a photo book out of them.

22. Start my 2015 year of photos.

23. Go on a trip next summer with a friend to celebrate our upcoming 30th birthdays.

24. Treat myself every now and then. I often spend so much time helping others, that I forget myself.

25. Try more new recipes.

26. Finally learn to make homemade bread.

27. Finally learn to make homemade pie crusts.

28. Blog more.

29. Be myself. 

Can I add one more that I don't really have much (any?) control over? I'd love to find a husband in my 29th year. Here's hoping this happens too :)

My One Thousand Gifts #'s 226 - 236

A while back, I read the book, One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and loved it. In the book, she tells about how, even through intense tragedies, she was still able to find little "gifts" left by God every day - things that reminded her that He was still looking after her, even if there were bad things going on in her life.

When I started my own list of one thousand gifts, I thought it'd be super easy. But you know, sometimes life happens, and it gets harder. I had a beloved family member die. I'm having to watch another battle multiple life threatening illnesses. A friend went through an incredibly traumatic event. The list could go on and on. And I'll be honest. It made it hard to find things to be thankful for when those I love are going through such horrific things.

But God slowly opened my eyes to the seemingly little things that brightened my otherwise dark days - things like a handwritten note from a student, a compliment from a friend, a trip to get my favorite ice cream, a new picture of my nieces... 

And that's how this series on my blog was born. Each week, I highlight new items I've added to my list of one thousand gifts. These gifts aren't always big things. In fact, sometimes it's the littlest things that stick out the most. 

This week, I've added 11 new things...

#226 - visitors

My dad has been in and out of the hospital a lot while I've been in Senegal. And each time it makes me sad when I hear that my mom's alone there with him. Occasionally people will come and visit, but she spends the majority of the time there by herself. So it did my heart happy to be there with her this time. And then when his only visitors, some good family friends of ours, came and visited (and even brought supper one night), I could see her eyes light up a little more. It was so nice to see!

#227 - a good hospital cafeteria

We were in the hospital on July 4th, so that meant no yummy grilled goodness, like was originally planned. ...or so I thought. Y'all, this hospital has the best cafeteria food around! They had grilled hamburgers, grilled chicken, grilled ribs, and so on. And the part I was most happy about... They had the biggest and tastiest salad bar I think I've ever seen! :)

#228 - the sunset behind me

As I was driving home from the hospital one night, I looked in my driver's side mirror and saw the sunset behind me. It was so beautiful that I decided to take a picture. And it was at that moment, I felt the presence of God so strong, telling me that He put that beautiful sunset behind me to remind me that He was behind me every step of the way...that I didn't have to worry about my dad's health, my current financial situation, the unknowns for my future, anything... God is right there supporting me, taking care of my every step of the way.

#229 - a free pedicure

I love getting pedicures, but don't have the money to do so right now. So imagine my delight when a friend emails me, saying I want to treat you and your mom to something - either a pedicure or dinner. Since my mom doesn't share my fondness of pedicures, we chose our yummy 4th of July lunch there in the hospital, but there was enough leftover for me to go get myself a pedicure. Now I just have to find the time to do so...  :)

#230 - an upcoming trip

I leave on Tuesday going to Texas, thanks to having enough airline miles to get me a free trip! I'm so excited! I get to see one of my bestest friends! And I get to visit a part of my own country I've never been to before! I can't wait!

#231 - multiple "offices" with free wifi and large cups of ice water

Since my parents don't have internet at their house, I have to go elsewhere to do work on the internet. So I'm thankful for "offices," like these which let me buy lunch, complete with large cups of ice water, while I use their free wifi :)

#232 - gas for $3.26 a gallon

I never thought I'd be happy to see gas for that price, but after having it close to $4 a gallon near home for so long, I was ecstatic to see this price yesterday. ..especially since my car was almost on empty. Yay for saving money!

#233 - an unofficial answer to prayer

Since it won't be official 'til next week I can't tell you what exactly this answer to prayer is yet, but oh my word is it a big one! Thank you Jesus! P.S. I'll fill you in next week :)

#234 - a 75% off sale

After a meeting last week, I stopped in a store to just browse their clothing selections and was happy to see they were having a big 75% off (and more) sale that day. I walked out of there with a shirt, two skirts, and matching outfits for my nieces all for less than $20! Yay for sales!

#235 - my niece's love of Frozen

My oldest niece loves "Woff" (Olaf) from the movie, Frozen. She talks about him a LOT! So yesterday she comes to me and says Zizzie, Woff. I pointed to her poster on the wall of him and assured her that that was indeed him. She then says No Zizzie Woff and runs to the DVD case and grabs Frozen. So I spent the entire length of the movie with an excited 23 month old sitting in my lap watching this movie. And my favorite part? ...listening to her try her hardest to sing along with the characters during "Let It Go."

#236 - a renewed accent

Yesterday I was talking to a couple friends I hasn't spoken to in a while and one told me that my accent has gotten stronger. Apparently, my Southern twang had been renewed. ...and that made me smile :)

And if you'd like to see the other items on my list of one thousand gifts, just click on the links to those posts on the right of your screen.

The 113th Dear ____ Post

Dear First Day of July, You are today. How is that possible? It seems like it was just yesterday that I was saying it was the first day of January. Time sure has flown by this year...

Dear Babysitting My Nieces, You're how I spent today. I love those girls so much and feel so blessed to have this time to spend with them!

Dear Zizzie, You're what my oldest niece calls me, since she can't pronounce Lizzie. I know I heard you  being said at least a hundred or so times today and you know what... I loved it!! :)

Dear First Service of 2015, You're what I scheduled the other day. I've been trying to schedule services with supporting churches out of state first since I need to strategically plan them when I'm able to have lounger times to drive to them. So now that I have those done, it's time to hit those phones pretty heavily and start scheduling even more than I already have nearby. It's time to fill my calendar. *P.S. to any pastors reading this... Feel free to contact me about setting up a service. I'd love love love the chance to share my heart and passion, with you, for the Wolof people of Senegal. 

Dear Shameless Plug, Why yes, I do realize I just used you. Hey, whatever works... :)

Dear Grilled Hot Dogs, Live Music, a Ceremony Honoring Veterans, and Fireworks, You're what's happening in town this Thursday night. I'm looking forward to it! I love these small town celebrations!

Dear 4th of July, You are Friday and I'm going to be spending you with some of my most favorite people - my family!

Dear 2 Weeks, You're how long is left until I leave for Texas on my "free" flight, to visit my friend, thanks to airline miles I've racked up over the last 5 years. I can't wait!

Dear So Many Choices, You're what I think every time I walk through the grocery store. It's almost overwhelming at times. Like seriously...how many different kinds of lettuce do you need? :)

Dear West African Mangoes, You are so deliciously sweet and I miss you so much. The ones I get here are good, but not your level of good. Maybe you should teach your "across the pond neighbors" a thing or two...

Dear Life, You may not always be easy. But I do love you. Thanks for always being interesting, never being boring, and always keeping me on my toes.

Dear Jesus, I'm always amazed and so grateful for all the little (and big) ways You show You care about me. ...like helping me find gas for over 10 cents cheaper this afternoon when I needed to fill up, or helping me find a cheap and tasty snack since I'm trying to save money, or giving me an easy day of babysitting - a day full of fun memories with my two favorite girls, or getting a phone call from a principal wanting me to come in next week for Round 2 of interviews (hopefully a good sign). I could go on and on, but you get the idea.