Elementary Camp

This past Friday, we held our annual Elementary Camp. 

This is a fun event for our students in Kindergarten through 5th grade, complete with games, crafts, dinner, a movie, and worship/Bible lesson. The kids always have a blast. And this year was no different :)

Our central theme was NEON.



We learned how those bright neon lights we all know will ONLY shine if they have a spark (if they're connected to electricity). And thankfully, we had an example right there in our school's auditorium...



I was running back and forth, from activity to activity, checking in on my amazing volunteers, seeing if they needed anything, letting them know when it was almost time to switch activities, watching the kids have fun, and all of that. And I had the best assistant ever helping me out the whole night :)



One sweet friend, and former DA employee, came back and helped us by leading an outside game, in which students were racing to find sources of light that were buried in the tubs of sand. The kids loved this relay race! In fact, I had a few come up to me yesterday, asking if we could do it in Kids Club some time :)

 



We had an arts and crafts room set up, with all sorts of fun art supplies...



And in the same room (and sometimes, just outside the room), we had all the board games laid out for kids to play with, as well. They loved it!



We also had another station set up with canvas drawstring backpacks and fabric markers, where our students could decorate their own bags. All of us adult volunteers commented on how impressive their creations were.

 

We fed them all sorts of yummy things, like these rainbow goldfish brought over in my suitcase at Christmas time. And we served a tasty kid-approved dinner, as well.



We had a time of worship, led by one of our super talented teachers at school. Then I presented the Bible message afterwards. It's times like those that I'm reminded of just what a gift it is to teach in a Christian school.



We then ended the night with a movie and popcorn.

And all in all, I'd say it was a super fun, wonderful evening. We had 84 kids in attendance. And while it may have made for a long, long day for me (16.5 hours to be exact), that was okay. Y'all... It was so worth it, to see the joy on our kids' faces all afternoon/evening long. I feel so blessed to be able to serve in this ministry!

What's Up April

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?

Do you mean besides Easter candy? :)

On Mondays, I meet with a group of friends for Bible Study. And we all meet ahead of time for dinner, taking turns each week cooking. This past week, one of our ladies made some delicious broccoli cheese soup. And she also made some homemade crackers to go with it. Oh my... It was all so tasty!

What am I reminiscing about?

I've shared a couple reminiscing style posts on here recently. The first was a post full of Memories with my dad. It's kind of hard to imagine that he's been gone for 4 years, now. It seems like just yesterday. I so miss him. But I am also so very thankful for all the years I did have with him. It's just so bittersweet...

 

And the second, which I shared yesterday was a fun, Back in the Day, style post where I talked about my Top 3's from high school.



 What am I loving?

I'm loving this fun picture of my crew, modeling their sunglasses they got in their Easter goodie bags. Can you say Cool Kids? :)

What have I been up to? 

I'm leading Staff Devotions on Mondays and Wednesdays this week and next. So I've been printing/prepping for that. I get super, super nervous speaking in front of adults. So I always secretly dread going into it due to nerves. But once I'm in there, it's all good. Anywho - As I was rereading my notes one last time last night, I snapped this picture. Today's devotion was on God's provision. It's a topic that's always worth repeating. That's for sure. 

What am I dreading? 

Honestly, there's nothing that I'm dreading at the moment. So I think I'm going to go back to instead answering the question... 

What am I praying for?

I'm praying for this summer's plans. I'm trying to decide on when to be back in the US. I want to give myself at least a week or two after after school gets out to do a bit of prep work ahead of time for Kids Club and Drama. I want to also have time to sort through more of the junk cluttering up my apartment and get rid of it. And most of all, I want some time to decompress after a particularly exhausting/semi-difficult school year before heading home for the summer.

And past that... I'm praying for services. I still need to book a few more services for while I'm back. Since I'm only back in the summers, a lot of churches are already booked. And so few churches have services on Sunday nights anymore. So it's sometimes hard to set those summer services up.

Will you help me pray that God gives me clarity on when to plan to leave (since the price varies depending on when you fly) AND for Him to work out all the details for lining up services, connecting with supporters, and raising necessary funds for my missions budget as well?

What am I working on?


I've been prepping for Elementary Camp, which happens this Friday. I've been separating out materials for different crafts, passing out reminder notes, separating out food purchases, and bagging up goodie bags. And I've also, obviously, been looking over my notes for the Bible lesson, as well.

What am I excited about?

Have I mentioned that Elementary Camp is in a couple more days?! :)

What am I watching?

I've been slowly working my way through episodes of JAG, thanks to a sweet friend who let me borrow her dvd set of the show.

What am I reading?

The other day I posted my reading recap, showing what I read from the end of February through last week. If you missed it, you can read it HERE.

Past that, I've been reading through this folder full of 18-20 journal articles on all sorts of topics pertaining to ADHD, as research for a long Literature Review paper I have to write over the weekend. I know I could read them online. But I was willing to pay what it took to print them all off, so I could actually hold them in my hand, highlight key points, and make all sorts of notes in the margins, while I read.

What am I listening to?

I subscribed to Apple Music, so I've been getting all sorts of new songs lately. And I'm still sticking with my listening to only Worship (Christian) music. And I must say... I'm really enjoying

What am I wearing? 

Nothing terribly exciting or blog-worthy. Ha! :)

What am I doing this weekend?

Friday, I'm leading our school's annual Elementary Camp. So by the time I finish that and get home super late at night, I'm pretty sure I'll crash and sleep the rest of the weekend away. Ha! At least 'til I wake up Saturday morning and write my long research paper. But hey, it's worth it for that. After all, it's the last assignment for this class. So I'll be happy to finally be finished with it.

What am I looking forward to next month?

We have a day off right at the beginning. But past that... I'm just looking forward to all the normal end of school year stuff. Our last day of classes is on the last day of May. Then we'll start with final exams after that. So time will fly by.

What else is new?

This may be small, but check out these highlighters. They're erasable. And they're perfect for me while taking notes, since I like the option of erasing when I make a mistake. Seriously... This isn't an ad or anything like that. It's just a case of me really liking a set of erasable highlighters :)

And in case you're wondering where I got them, I bought them at Wal-Mart while I was in the US last month. But you can also get them on Amazon for the same price of $5.90. Not too bad considering what you're getting....

And that's what I'm up to this month.

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

Back in the Day

Happy Tuesday Y'all

The other day, Shay did a fun post, where she "went back" to her high school days and listed her Top 3 from that time. It looked fun, so I thought I'd "steal" her idea :)

Here are my Top 3 from when I was in High School ...

(1999-2003)

Favorite TV Shows

Boy Meets World

ER

And, once it started in '02... American Idol

Favorite Movies 

10 Things I Hate About You

The Princess Diaries

A Walk to Remember

Favorite Books

I loved almost all of Lurlene McDaniel's books. They were all about teens with major medical issues - usually cancer. And they were all about how the kids overcame them and lived amazingly full lives and fell in love and all of that sort of thing, even while battling these diseases.

Favorite Places to Eat in Florala (where I went to high school)

We had very few options. Florala was such a small town then. It's still small, but at least they do have more options...

Anywho - My favorites were Huddle House, Subway, or Hardees.

Favorite Subjects in High School

English

History

French 

Favorite Extra-Curriculars

Colorguard 

Favorite Meals My Mom Made

Roast with Carrots and Potatoes

Pizza Casserole

Grilled Burgers

Celebrity Crushes

Leonardo DiCaprio

Matt Damon 

Ben Affleck

Favorite Places to Shop

There weren't that many options. Honestly, I was just happy if we could go to Wal-Mart. Ha! Past that, Cato's maybe?

3 Things I Always Had In My Purse

I rarely ever carried a purse. In fact, I was so annoyed when I started driving because I actually had to keep up with a purse AND a backpack. Ha!

Typical Morning Breakfasts

I loved grabbing a sausage biscuit from Hardees and a chocolate milk on my way to school. That's about it, though.

And then during my senior year, on Fridays during football season, a bunch of us would go to the Huddle House for breakfast before school.

Favorite Drinks

Mountain Dew

Sweet Tea
Chocolate Milk (lame, I know)

Favorite Ways to Workout

I was in Colorguard. So during Marching Season, I was super, super strong.

3 Colleges I Thought I'd Go To

I always thought I'd go to Troy University. But my family moved just after my high school graduation. And since I knew that move was happening, I applied to a school closer to them, so I could live at home (and not have to pay for boarding). And that's where I ended up going - the University of Montevallo.

Top 3 Things My Brother Did to Get on My Nerves

At this moment, I honestly can't think of anything...

Top 3 Things My Brother Did That Were Sweet

A lot. 

 

But the thing that sticks out in my memory the most is when we got in a wreck on the way to school my senior year of high school (his sophomore year). This girl ran a stop sign and basically t-boned us. As we were spinning around, I was freaking out, scared we were about to die, and I could clear as day hear my brother, in a calming voice saying, "It's okay. We're going to be okay. Don't worry. We're going to be okay." He was such an encouragement at that moment when I needed it the most.

 

Top 3 Things I Wish I Knew Then That I Know Now

 I actually WILL use French in the future.

My dad wouldn't be around forever

I wouldn't stay in touch with certain friends forever.

 

Top 3 Favorite Bands/Singers

N'Sync

98 Degrees

3 Doors Down

3 Things That Stressed Me Out

How I was going to pay for college

My looks

Boys

Top 3 Favorite Ways to Spend Free Time

At home - I was definitely a home body.

At the movies

Or one of my best friends worked the night shift at Huddle House. So I'd often hang out there while she finished up.

 

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So, what about YOU?

What would you tell yourself back in the day?

 

 

Reading Recap

Happy Monday Everyone

 Today I thought I'd share a little reading recap.

For Fun

I have 3 "for fun" books to share this time around...

I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris and The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory. The first was absolutely amazing. I'd recommend it to anyone! The second was a good, guilty pleasure type read - mindless reading after a long day, kind of thing. But it wasn't the best ever.

And yesterday evening, I started reading Nell and Lady by Ashley Farley and am halfway through it now. Even though I'm only half done, I can tell I'm going to really like it. It's a good one, for sure.

For My Classes (as a student)

I continued reading the 3 required texts for my Emotional and Behavioral Disorders class Characteristics of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders of Children and Youth and Cases in Emotional and Behavioral Disorders of Children and Youth, and Lost at School by Ross Greene. But I also read one more...

I read Lost and Found, which is a sequel to Lost at School by Ross Greene. Both of Dr. Greene's books were good. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone working in the field of education, especially if they are encountering behaviorally challenging students. And let's face it... That's pretty much in all schools.

For Teaching

I read The Math Handbook by Helmy Faber and then passed it along to a student at our school. It's such a neat book, full of "cheat sheets" / study tools to help kids who struggle a bit more than others in Math. 

For Spiritual Growth


I finished Holy Hustle by Crystal Stine, which I shared about in last month's post. But I must admit... The beginning was good. But past that, it was kind of bleh. I wasn't as impressed by the rest. But such is life...

Anywho, past that one, I also read True Community by Jerry Bridges. I can't say I truly enjoyed the entire thing. It was okay. But just that... Okay.

I haven't really had that great of luck in this category this time around, which is a bit sad. But that's okay. I just started re-reading one that I know for a fact is a good one. I'll share more about it in my next Reading Recap post next month.

What My Students Are Reading

With one of my students, I used The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home, both by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers, as our intro to a unit on letter writing. I love the bright colors and fun content in these books. They're such fun books for kids!

And then in Kids Club, we read a super cute book about Easter - Easter is Coming! by Tama Fortner - which I picked up while in the US over Spring Break. It was geared more towards younger kids, but I had a great discussion with all of them (even the older ones in Kids Club) about the anticipation we have for Easter goes along with the hope we have for the coming of our Savior and for eternal life with Him one day.

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And in case you're interested...

Here are my previous Reading Recap from earlier in the year.

February

March 

Favorite Memories of My Dad

The next few days are always hard for me.

4 years ago...

My dad passed away on April 19th.

His birthday is on the 20th.

The viewing was on the 21st.

And his funeral was on the 22nd.
Then, my parents' anniversary is on the 28th.

Sometimes it's hard to believe that it's been 4 years. And then, there are other times when the fresh pain from that immediate wave of grief that came after his death grips my heart in a way I cannot explain.

I am so incredibly grateful for the relationship my dad had with our Savior. I love knowing that He and Jesus are hanging out in Heaven today. In fact, the picture of my dad in a completely healthy body, walking and talking with Jesus, is the one I try to think of when waves of sadness hits. 

Today, in honor of the 4th anniversary, I'm sharing some of my most favorite memories and pictures of my dad.

 

I love the pictures below. My dad was in a long term rehab facility not long before he died, and my brother and sister-in-law brought my nieces in to visit him. These pictures are definite favorites of mine. ...especially the one of my youngest niece looking up at her Pawpaw with such attentive eyes.

 

My dad spent some time in the Navy. He was quite proud of that time, especially knowing he was able to help fight for the country he so dearly loved. He was proud of 

And speaking of the Navy... One of my all time favorite memories of my dad is of the Navy vs South Alabama football game that he and I got to go watch about 4 or 5 months before he passed away. That is such a special memory for me.



I loved going on Daddy Daughter dates with him, whether that was to see a movie or going out to eat at a favorite restaurant or even going to Starbucks for a cup of hot chocolate (since neither of us liked coffee).

My dad loved his family so much. And while I know he loved my brother and me, let's face it... This man was meant to be a Pawpaw. So when my two nieces were born, he was over the moon for sure :)

 

I remember so many times, my dad getting down on on the floor with my brother and me, coloring, playing with dolls or GI Joes, playing video games, or reading us a story. He was always up for having fun.



He loved my Mama so much, too. And this year (in just a little over a week from today, actually), they would've been married 35 years. 



But more than his family, he loved his Savior. And for that (and the legacy he left us all as a result), I am so very grateful. My dad loved being a pastor. He loved to preach. And he was one of the best. Whether it was in a fancy sanctuary in a church building or standing on the tail gate of his truck at a community wide service, if he was preaching, he was in his element. In fact, his last sermon was a message from his hospital bed. What a great legacy/memory!



My dad was always supportive and encouraging of my mom, my brother, and me. He was an amazing man. And I feel so blessed to have had the 29 years I had with him. And while I do definitely miss him so incredibly much, I am so glad he's in Heaven with his Savior, hanging out with Jesus, and no longer sick or hurting.



I miss you Daddio.

And just for fun... Here's one more picture of us 34 years ago :)

 
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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 the fun