What's Up February

Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Can you believe February is almost over?!

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 made a big batch of red beans and rice with sausage and creole seasoning added into the mix. This is one of my most favorite dishes. It's so ridiculously simple to make. But it is just so incredibly delicious! Yum!

What am I reminiscing about?

Valentines Day Fun with my class and with Kids Club - I can't say Valentines Day is my favorite day. I'm not a fan of having a huge reminder of my singleness. However, I had lots of fun celebrating with my favorite kiddos. We had tasty treats, games, and Bible lessons to remind us of the One who loved us so much that He sacrificed His only Son so we could one day live in Heaven with Him forever!

 What am I loving?

After all these years of primarily with elementary students, I'm finding that I really am loving working with teenagers. ...whether that be students in class, students on my Drama Team, student volunteers in Kids Club, or students I'm mentoring. I still love working with the little guys. It's kind of funny. After all these years of saying that teaching teenagers scared me, I'm realizing that maybe that's just not so true. I really do love working with them. :)

What have I been up to? 

I got to get away for a couple days earlier this month, thanks to a 3-day weekend from school. It was nice to sleep in, spend some time out by the pool (or in the pool), catch up on reading (for fun), eat good food, and hang out with friends, too. 

What am I dreading?

I have to take (or rather, re-take) 3 Praxis tests to renew my Alabama Teacher's License. As much as I love my sweet home Alabama, they don't make it easy for teachers who live out of the country, when it comes to counting Professional Development/CEU hours. So, now my only option is to retake the Praxis tests for the 3 areas in which I was already certified, for them to renew my license. Y'all...I'm a firm believer in Test Anxiety being a real thing. I absolutely positively hate taking tests. ...especially high stakes ones like these. And to know that I have to take a total of three of them? Well, that just makes it worse. 



But whether I dread them or not, they're definitely going to be happening. So I ordered the study guides for each of them to be delivered to a friend who's making a quick trip to the US and has offered to bring them back for me. So it looks like I'll have quite a bit of studying in my near future :)

What am I working on?

I'm working on my summer plans. I'll be doing a bit of traveling, a bit of speaking at churches, continuing to raise support for this work He's called me to do. And I'll also be spending some down time with family and friends and taking a bit of self-care time, as well. I'll be in the U.S. for around 6 or 7 weeks. If you'd like me to come and share about this incredible work God's allowing me to do here in Senegal, let me know. I'd love to share with your church, small group, kids' program, or even to take you out for coffee or dinner some time and share over that. Send me an email today at enichols85@gmail.com and we'll set something up.

What am I excited about?

One of my groups finished up a chapter on all things Fractions. We've done all sorts of things with fractions. We've added, subtracted, multiplied, divided, converted, and simplified them. And then yesterday, we took a big test on them. So now, today, we are starting our Pizza Fractions project. I'm pretty excited about it. Hopefully they will be too. :)

What am I watching?

Nothing new - Anyone have a suggestion on something I could watch?

What am I reading?

I have read 4 books this month.  
And I've started a 5th and hope to finish it by the weekend.



Daphne by Will Boast
Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton

The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson
Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar
The Behavior Code by Minahan and Rappaport

What am I listening to?

A friend shared this song with me a while back. It's been on repeat ever since. And almost every single time it plays, I tear up as I think of the work God has called me to do and I feel so incredibly grateful for the time He's allowed me to do this work. I honestly don't know how long God will allow me to keep at it. But I know this, I will continue to work my absolute hardest for the sweet babies He's placed in my care, and I will worship Him, who called me, praising His name all the while.

What am I wearing?

I’m wearing my hair down more often. Thankfully it’s cool again. Plus I’ve kind of accepted that the frizz is inevitable. I might as well accept it :)


 

What am I doing this weekend?

There is an annual softball tournament happening this weekend here in Dakar. So I imagine I'll be at the ball field most of the weekend. Well, I'll be rotating between that, and doing lesson planning/prep for the week ahead.

What am I looking forward to next month?

Spring Break - And with Spring Break, comes sleeping late and not having to set alarm clocks every single day. Then, past that, I'm planning to do a bit of long range lesson planning for work, purge my cabinets and shelves in my classroom to get better organized, and I'm also planning some reading (for fun), as well. 

And yes, I'm actually looking forward to all of that. 
Work and non-work, alike :)

What else is new?

My school is looking for new teachers for next year. Do you know of anyone who has a heart for missions and feels God calling them to help further His kingdom through education. Email me at enichols85@gmail.com or click HERE for more info today.

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?