What's Up February

Happy Wednesday Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up. 

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

The questions are...

 

What am I eating?

I ate lunch with a couple of my students the other day on our school's Olympics Day.It was fun sitting with these guys, eating our lunch, and chatting about their day. These guys are so much fun. I'm so blessed to be their teacher.

What am I reminiscing about?

I'm reminiscing about all sorts of memories involving this pup, who sadly passed away the other day... I wrote all about her the other day, while processing through my thoughts and pain, after having just heard the news.

 What am I loving?

I'm loving this letter board I brought back for my classroom. My students are too. One of my guys finished his classwork early the other day and asked if he could choose a new quote for our board. Once he chose one he liked, we chatted about what it meant (making sure he truly understood it). And then he got to work, setting it up on the letter board. I think he chose a great quote. Don't you?

What have I been up to?

We had our annual school-wide Olympics this past week. That Friday ends up being a long day for me, since I'm on duty all day with my crew. But it's so very worth it. The kids always have a blast!

 

 What am I dreading? 

Lately, I've been changing this prompt since there's nothing I'm really dreading. So instead, I'm going to answer...

What am I praying for?

I'm praying for friends and family dealing with all sorts of things, needing a touch from the Father... Ones with family members who are really sick and some with family members who have passed away, as well. Some with churches, searching for a new pastor. Some with pregnancies facing complications. Some with loved ones who have strayed from the Lord. Some facing major financial burdens. And so much more. I'm praying that in each of these situations, God's hand at work is clearly displayed. I'm praying that my friends, family, and co-workers can see the goodness of God in the middle of the good times and the times of suffering.

What am I working on?


Want to know a secret? I've always dreamed of writing a book. I have had a book idea in mind. And I've started it, deleted it, started it again, deleted it again, and so on and so on many different times. And while a few friends know about this daydream of mine, I haven't told too many people. Why? Mostly because I was scared I might never get it finished, thinking I'd be considered a failure if so. Well, I've finally started it again and even set little goals for myself on how much to ideally write in a certain amount of time. And I'll probably even write a blog post about this soon, if for no other reason than to give myself some accountability in keeping up with these goals I've set for myself.

Wish me luck :)

What am I excited about?

I'm excited about my plans for an upcoming unit on Poetry that I'll be teaching one of my guys. Poetry is something I love to teach. And I have lots of fun ideas planned and ready to share with my guy in the upcoming weeks. And if all goes according to plan, the unit will end with a presentation of poetry written by him, ready to share with a group of people of his choice.

What am I watching?

Since I'll have more time to do so (and no worries about staying up late/waking up early), I'm making plans to finally binge watch The Good Doctor over Spring Break in March/April. I know that's pretty far off to plan for. But still... I also know that I'm super far behind. But since we have 2 weeks out for Spring Break, I think I'll have plenty of time to catch myself up on the show.

What am I reading?

I'll be finishing reading this book this coming weekend, since I have a bit paper due next Tuesday, with it being the main source to be used in the paper. I've really enjoyed this class on teaching students with Dyslexia. I've learned so much throughout the course of the last 8 weeks. And this book is full of good info. I'm really glad it was one of the required readings.

What am I listening to?

A friend shared this song in our staff devotions the other morning, reminding us that in any situation, if we want to hear from God, we need to simply open His Word. He has said (written) so incredibly much to us. We just have to listen (read). It was such a needed message for me to hear, too. 

* YouTube Video *

What am I wearing? 

I wear this comfy pair of shoes any time I can. They were $5 at Wal-Mart this past summer and by far, the most comfortable pair of shoes I own. They're not the prettiest. But  aren't completely ugly. And they are closed-toe, so they're nice on these cool (low 70s) days we have. And they're comfy, too. So, yes... I do totally wear these any chance I can. :)

What am I doing this weekend?

My plan for Saturday is to work in my classroom all day and then go to our school's Senior Cafe (like a talent show) that night. And then my plan for Sunday is to go to church, go to a birthday party for a friend's son, and then come home and meal prep for the week. Then, I'm hoping to finally read a book I checked out from the school's library last week.

What am I looking forward to next month?

West Africa AG Conference/Retreat
Spring Break
No Alarm Clock Wake-Ups for a couple weeks

What else is new?

A while back, a friend gave me a bag of mint chocolate chips. So I added some of those to my batter last night, making the most amazingly delicious mint chocolate chip cookies the other night. And I quickly realized that these might just be my new favorite cookie. Y'all... They were so tasty!

And then each month, there's a special question. February's question is...

What is your favorite board game to play with your kids?

Since I don't have kids of my own, I thought I'd share what games I like playing with my students instead. And since my class LOVES game time, this was a perfect question for me to answer!

  According to my students, their best games we play together are Guess Who, Rummikub, and Scrabble. And I like playing all of those games with them because they're all educational and fun at the same time. There are so many Grammar and Math skills that can be learned through these games. Not to mention, the valuable social skills lessons that they can learn from them as well...

** Side note - I cringe when a teacher says she doesn't have time in her schedule for games. Games can be so educational. And I truly believe if you'll make time for a little fun learning, kids will remember it better. Plus, look at the relationship building that can occur through game playing in the classroom. Seriously... This is something I definitely feel strongly about. 

But, I digress. ;)

Anywho - That's what I'm up to this month.

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

A Story About A Dog

14 1/2 years ago, I started a job, working at a Veterinary Clinic.

 

I was in college and needed a job that would work around the weird class and school observations schedule that future teachers had. And the head vet, an amazing guy who is married to a teacher, himself, took a chance on me. He hired me to work up front, as a secretary of sorts. But I ended up doing all sorts of things from answering phones to cleaning cages to helping in exams and surgeries, to going on the occasional farm call. I loved my job there. I worked there for 4 1/2 years. And even though I always knew the time would come for me to leave, since I was going to school to be a teacher... Well, even so, I was still sad to leave.

Anywho - A few months after I began working there, on a Monday morning, I received a phone call. This woman said she'd found a puppy that had been hit by a car the evening before. So she'd dropped it off on the vet clinic's front porch. This was a fairly common thing, since we often had someone working there on the weekends as well, tending to emergency cases. So one of my co-workers goes out and looks, and this pitiful little, badly injured, puppy is hiding under the porch. She brings in the puppy, (so small, she could fit in the palm of your hand) and our vet, being the amazing guy he is, did all sorts of work on her, to nurse her back to health.

A month later, I got to take that puppy home. She quickly became "my baby" and followed me everywhere. She was most definitely the sweetest dog I've ever had. She loved her people big time. And her favorite past time was sitting right beside or on your feet (or in your lap when she was smaller), just so she could be as close as possible. She loved to go for a ride in the car, especially if that ride included a trip through the McDonald's drive-thru for a cheeseburger or a few chicken nuggets. And we joke that she was born trained, because she never made messes in the house as a puppy. She was such a sweet dog. She loved everyone (except strangers, which was fine by me since that meant she was keeping the house - and us - safe). She was so gentle with my nieces, content to sit there and let them pet her and hug her. Everyone always commented on how sweet she was.

When I left for Senegal the first time, she quickly became my mom's "baby" and sidekick. And when my dad passed away, I was so grateful that my mom still had Allie hanging around as a small source of comfort during those times when she was alone at home. It obviously didn't take away the pain. But still... She was there. And every single time I'd come home for a visit, she'd be excited to see me and would go right back to being mine again. Right up until the day I left, when it was like she just knew... And back to being my mom's girl, she'd go.

In the last year or so, her health started to slowly decline. The once spry puppy was definitely showing her age and had trouble getting around as quickly as she once could. She was still the same sweet ol' girl, though. And even though I kind of knew it'd be the last time I'd see her when I left in January, it was still so heart-breaking to hear that she passed away this past Friday. I'm so sad that this girl won't be running up to meet me when I get home for a visit the next time. I'm so sad that I won't be able to have her sit by my side as I watch tv or read a book at night. I'm so sad I won't be able to load her up in the truck for a ride into town...

I know she was a dog.

But still...  

I'm sad.

She was such an incredible dog.

My mom told me that upon hearing the news that she went to "doggy heaven," my youngest niece told her dad, "I bet Pawpaw is petting Allie in Heaven." And that made me smile. My dad, who tried to be all gruff and strong and pretend like he didn't care so much, loved this dog so much. So, theology about dogs in heaven aside...

To think of my dad petting her again made me smile.

This Week's Top 5

Happy Friday, Y'all

This was a 4 day week for us at my school. And as a friend and I both said yesterday, 4 day weeks are sometimes far more exhausting. Plus, today's not a "real" day, since we're having Olympics at school today. So, technically, we've only had 3 "normal" days in the classroom. But, it's been fun nonetheless.

Here's my Top 5 Favorites from this week and last week as well, since last week I did something different with my weekly Top 5 post last week.

~ one ~

My crew did such a good job presenting their research findings last week. They worked so hard on this project and anyone could see that. I was so incredibly proud of them. And this project ended up being a definite favorite for me.

We had presentations on people.

We had one presentation on Ottawa, the capitol of Canada.

 And we also had one presentation on food native to Canada.

~ two ~ 

This week in Kids Club, we had our annual "Kids Club Olympics" afternoon, where we use a few games and activities to remind us of how the Olympics can help us learn more about our Savior. It was a fun afternoon. I loved seeing how well our kids worked together, laugh and play with each other, and racing to win the relay race. Then in the end, those puzzle pieces were put together to illustrate a Bible verse we had learned. 

~ three ~

One of my students has just finished a chapter on the various types of land and water biomes. So as an end of chapter project, I gave him the assignment of creating a book with information about different biomes, which he will be able to eventually share with a younger grade. He's been working so hard on this book. And I've loved seeing his creative mind at work, researching more info about each biome. I can't wait to see his final, completed product.

~ four ~

One of the hardest parts of being an aunt is living so far away from my nieces, missing out on all the big moments of course. But also missing out on just spending time with them, treating them to a meal or a treat, hanging out with them, playing with them, reading stories to them, etc. So one thing I love about the missions community is being able to be "fake aunt" to so many of our MKs. I love that I can love on my friends' kids and hang out with and get to know these incredible kids.

~ five ~

One of my (non-American) students challenged me to a competition to see who could do a better job at memorizing the states in the USA. The rules were simple... He had 2 weeks to study/memorize. He then was given a blank map and had to write all the states in their correct spots on the map. I, on the other hand, due to being an American and supposedly already knowing all 50 states well, was given only 3 minutes to list the states. And guess who won... My guy wrote all 50 states in their correct spots on the map, while I was only able to list 34 on a separate piece of paper, in the time provided. I have never seen a child so excited about learning something. So yes, I'll be treating him to lunch tomorrow as a reward :)

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Today, I'm joining Erika, Andrea, and Narci and for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup. Click one of their names to and join in on the fun.

The Little Things

Today, I'm joining Ashley and Erika for their monthly Tuesday Talk link-up, where we, bloggers, come together and talk about whatever is on our mind at the moment. I typically try to think of one specific topic to talk about.

And yes, I do realize it's Wednesday

I was busy yesterday and didn't have time to post :)



Last month, I shared an introduction of myself, which you can read about here. And I had big plans to chat about a certain topic for this month. In fact, I'd already had the majority of it typed and ready in draft mode. But then, when I went to click "publish" earlier today, it just didn't feel right.

So instead, I thought I'd share a few of the little (and not so little) things which have made me smile recently. After all, sometimes it's those little (and again, not so little) things which have the most impact on us. Right? :)

Things like...

The peacefulness of the ocean... Y'all, I wish I could figure out how to add a video I've shot in here. If so, you'd hear the serene sound of the waves crashing in the distance. It was seriously just so incredibly peaceful and amazing!



A cross full of sticky notes, filled out by students (and teachers), highlighting all the ways we can be like Jesus and show love to those around us. I spoke in our Elementary Chapel this past week and this was the activity I had the kids help me with at the end of my lesson. And it turned out so well! 



Late night decorations for a class presentation happening the next day... On the day in question, I had a lot to do after school. So while it's not my most favorite thing, I decided to just stay late and get it all done. I snapped this pictures at around 8:30 pm., as I was heading home. And while I may have been tired, I still had a smile on my face. I was so happy about the next day. I was so proud of my students who were also so proud of themselves, for being ready to present their research the following day at school. So yes... Late night (blurry) decor pictures made me smile :)



A Valentines party with some of my favorite people made me smile, too. I loved that their 2 requested snacks were Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mac & Cheese. ...a fine combination in my book. ;) I also loved that we had the cutest decorations around thanks to the amazing lady that hangs out with, and more importantly, helps us during the day. My kids all loved having the decorations all set up and ready and made sure we took lots of pictures of the "pretty shelves." :)



And speaking of Valentines Day... One of our principals made cupcakes for the staff. I know this may seem like a small thing, but it's little stuff like this that can sometimes make such a big difference. It shows she's thinking about it and she cares about us. I love it! Plus a cupcake is always a good thing :)



Ok, one more Valentine related item... Little notes and cards from students always put a smile on my face. That's for sure :)



One of my guys is in a different English class than the others. So he's made it his goal to administer their spelling test each week. It's been good practice for him, as well, to work on speaking loudly and clearly, using correct pronunciation, etc. And yes, for some reason, this is his preferred spot to stand during the test. But he's happy and safe and I smile every single week when I see him ready to go :)



There are a zillion other little (and not so little) things that make me smile each day. But these are the first few that stuck out in my mind.

What about YOU?

What has made you smile recently?

February 2019's Coffee Date

Happy Monday Everybody

Today, I'm sharing my monthly Coffee Date post.

The Coffee Date series was started by Erin from Erin Salmon Writes, as a fun blogging exercise each month. And while, Erin doesn't actually host the Coffee Date link-ups anymore, I still think it is fun to share my own Coffee Date post each month. The premise of these Coffee Date posts was, and it still is, for me to pretend that I am on a coffee date with you, my reader, as a friend, and we are chatting about anything on our mind at the moment.

So with that said...

Grab a cup of coffee (or whatever) and let's settle in for a chat.

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If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that I got to sleep 'til 7:00 this morning. And while that may not seem like much, it's a whole extra hour and thirty minutes for me. So yay for a day off from school! :)

If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you that I'm at the ball field today for the third and final day of a big, annual softball tournament here in town. I'd also tell you that baseball is probably my most favorite sport to watch. And since we don't have baseball here, I'll happily settle for softball. ...especially if our students are playing. It's definitely much more enjoyable that way.


If we were on a coffee date, I would also tell you that it was a chilly and windy, and in the low-70s most of the weekend. And yes, the majority of us were all sitting there, bundled up in hoodies, scarves, and blankets. It was cold!

My fleece BAMA throw came in handy this past weekend!

If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you that my students did an awesome job on presenting their big research projects the other day. I was so proud of all the hard work they put into them. What an incredible group of kids we have!



If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you that I love finding bits of beauty (and green) in the midst of dry, dusty Senegal. There's always so much dirt and dust everywhere. So when I see beautiful flowers like these, it makes me smile :)



If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you that my brother's birthday was a few days ago. It's hard to believe that we're both in our early 30s now. How is that even possible?! Weren't we just in elementary school?! :)



If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you that Spring Break is the first two weeks of April. I'd tell you that I've been totally daydreaming about treating myself to a mini vacation getaway during our school Break (2 weeks!!) and going somewhere/doing something. However, I feel the need to be practical and save my money and not spend it on a vacation (which is more likely, knowing me). 

Hmm... Decisions, decisions :)

Anywho - What about YOU?

If we were on a coffee date, what would you share with me?

A Different Kind of Top 5

Happy Saturday Y’all 

I’d originally planned on posting this yesterday. But that didn’t happen.


So here we are. 

Anywho - Usually my weekly Top 5 post is classroom/school related. 

But this week, I'm changing it up.

Why? 

Well, this guy's birthday is today...



My brother is an amazing guy and I'm so blessed to call him my brother. I really am. So, in honor of his special day, here are my 5 favorites of my brother. 

~ one ~

I love how hardworking he is. I know he's not the biggest fan of this picture. But I am. It's his Manager picture from work. I've been so impressed and proud of him and how fast he's "climbed the ladder" at work. He works his bum off for his family, making sure his wife and daughters are well-cared and provided for. He is strong and tough and doesn't back down from a challenge. I love that about him!



~ two ~

I love how devoted to his family he is. I love seeing him with his wife & daughters. I love seeing his love for them. He's so utterly devoted to them, providing and caring for them and going above and beyond for them. He is such a good husband and father. If I could marry a man even half as good as him one day, I'd do well :)



~ three ~ 

I love how goofy he is. * Case in point... Check out his goofy smile in the pictures below. Honestly, he's always ready with a silly joke or something, ready to make someone smile. I love his humor. And I love his zeal for life. He seems to truly find joy in all parts of life. And he can almost always make me smile :)



~ four ~

I love how when I moved to Senegal, I could rest easier, knowing he was nearby our parents. This was even more evident when my dad was so sick and then after I returned to Senegal after my dad's death. I love talking to my mom and hearing all the ways my brother has helped her or things he's said or done for her.

~ five ~

I love that he's my brother. He's such an incredible guy and I truly feel blessed to have him in my life. He's encouraging and supportive, generous and caring, hardworking and considerate, funny and smart and humble... He's so many things.



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Today, I'm joining Erika, Andrea, and Narci and for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup. Click one of their names to and join in on the fun.

And I'm also joining April, Natasha, and Christina for their 5 on Friday linkup.