What's Up February

Today I'm linking up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for this month's What's Up Wednesday post. I know I say it a lot. But it's true. It feels like time just flies by. How is it already the last Wednesday of February. It'll be Christmas before we know it :)

 

Every month we answer the same few questions based on how things are currently going in our lives. 

The questions are...

 

What am I eating this week?

I haven't been cooking anything terribly exciting. But I did have a bit of tasty goodness at the ball field this past weekend. Hello snow cones and grilled burgers & fries:)

  

What am I reminiscing about?

I dug up a bunch of old photos and shared them on Facebook last week on my brother's birthday. So that's prompted a lot of reminiscing. Oh and in case you were wondering... I know there are a lot of brothers out there. But mine is the best :)

What am I loving?

There's a lot of good things going on in my life at the moment. So I have plenty I could list here. But instead, I'll link back to a post I wrote a couple weeks ago, where I shared my 5th graders' responses to the question, WHAT IS LOVE? 

Did you miss this post? Check it out HERE.

What have I been up to?

Many of our students, staff, and parents participated in WAIST (a softball tournament) last weekend. So I spent the bulk of my weekend at the ball field, which just happens to be not far from the coast. It was a nice weekend, spent with friends and co-workers, watching softball, soaking up some sun, and relaxing :)

 

 

What am I dreading?

I hate to say this because I hate to sound super negative. But here goes... 

Facebook has this thing which shows memories of posts from that day in years past. And 99% of the time they're super cool. But right now... They're full of pain and sadness and heartache as I see all of these posts of my dad's health deteriorating. It was about this time 2 years ago that his (already poor) health started the dramatic nosedive, leading up to his eventual death. It's so hard to think that this April will make 2 years since he passed away. Lately, it's been hitting me a LOT. It's the smell of freshly cut grass. It's the sight of a father picking up his young daughter. It's a glimpse of what life could've been like. It's a reminder of what I'll never have. It's advice needed. It's hugs I can't feel any longer. It's phone calls I can no longer make. It's ministry planning without his support. It's pictures and memories and so very much more. And yes, I know he's in a far better place. Yes, I'm so incredibly happy that he's no longer suffering. But y'all, I miss my dad something fierce. And while I always check the memory feed on Facebook, because more times than not it honestly is fun and good, I always have a little sense of dread at what might come...

What am I working on?

I've been spending at least 3 or 4 hours every weekend working on curriculum stuff for next year. I've also realized that curriculum/textbook writers and editors definitely do not get paid enough. It's a HUGE job and I probably won't be finished any time soon. But that's okay. It'll still help me out for next year (and beyond). And while it may be a challenge, that's okay too. After all, as I've said before, I do enjoy a good challenge.

What am I excited about?

I'm excited about a fun project I'm doing with my 5th graders. We're planning and researching at the moment. Soon we'll be writing and revising and typing. Then we'll be all dressed up and ready to present our research to some special guests. I can't wait!

What am I watching?

I've been watching Speechless. It's a fictional show about the life of a family with a son who has special needs. There are some semi-inappropriate things here and there. Things which might not be totally suitable for younger audiences... But overall, it really is a good show. And I have really been enjoying it.

Speechless on ABC

What am I reading?

At the moment, I'm rereading through my Berean/Global University coursebooks. My goal is to spend a good chunk of time every single evening reviewing and getting ready for those courses' exams, which I'll be taking in April. I'm so ready to be finished with these. And when I do finish, then all I'll have left is the interview/big exam and I can receive my Ordination with the Assemblies of God. It's been a long (hard at times) road. But it's been so worth it. I'm so ready to finish this process and see what God has in store for me!

What am listening to?

Thanks to the gift of an iTunes gift card, I was able to buy a few new songs. One that's been on repeat is Rend Collective's Build Your Kingdom Here. I have loved this group for a while. And then I heard this song at church not long ago. I think it might just be my favorite of theirs. It's so perfectly applicable for this work God's called me to.

What am I wearing?

Flip Flops - That would be one of the main perks of living in a place that's hot pretty much all year long :)



What am I doing this weekend?

We have Olympics at my school the next two days. So I think by Friday evening, I'm going to be exhausted! But, I'll be back in my classroom on Saturday morning, doing more research/planning/creating my curriculum for next school year. And then on Sunday, I'll go to church and hopefully back home to study Berean and rest some too.

What am I looking forward to next month?

SPRING BREAK!!! Want to know what I'm doing over Spring Break? Check it out HERE.

This meme is totally meant to be funny. But yeah... It probably is true :)

What else is new?

Mardi Gras (well, Fat Tuesday) is next week. I'm planning to make gumbo and a king cake and have some friends over. I swear, I should've been born in Cajun country. My short time in that part of God's beautiful creation was far too short!

And then each month, there is a special question for the month. 

The question for February is... What's your "can't live without" beauty product?

Ok. So anyone that knows me knows beauty routines just aren't my thing. I don't wear make-up except for special occasions. I rarely wear my hair down. It's up in a ponytail 90% of the time. So my answers to this question will probably be considered quite lame. 

But oh well. Here goes...

1) Aussie Scrunch Spray - I have super curly hair. I used to HATE my hair. But eventually, I realized I was stuck with these curls, so I might as well accept them. And now... Now, I love my hair! I typically will start the day with my hair down. So I need something in it to tame the madness that is my curls. I started using Aussie spray way back when and I love it. It's inexpensive. It smells decent. And it doesn't make my hair super stiff and gross. So yeah... I'd consider it a "can't live without" product. If my hair's down (meaning it's not ridiculously hot outside and I'm not chasing after kids at work), then Aussie's in use.

FYI - Aussie is not paying me to say this. I just think their product is awesome ;)

2. Candy Cane/Peppermint Chapstick - I am definitely a hoarder of candy cane/peppermint flavored chapstick. I love the stuff! I have like a zillion tubes of the stuff. I love it. And since it's not out all year long, I usually stock up if I'm back in the States at Christmas time. That way I'll have it all the time :)

Chap Stick, nor Amazon paid me to say this. I just think this product (and Amazon Prime's "free" shipping) is awesome :)