What's Up July

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?

Last night for dinner, I made some pasta with roasted garlic alfredo sauce and cooked some steak to go with it. It was a very simple dish to make, thanks to finding a jar of alfredo sauce at the American Store here. But it was so flavorful. I enjoyed it. And it made enough to feed a friend and me last night and still give me leftovers for a couple days. And not having to cook every day in this heat is most definitely a good thing :)

   
What am I reminiscing about?

I moved to Senegal for the first time 11 years ago (tomorrow). So this past week, I've been spending lots of time thinking back over the last 11 years, reminiscing over all sorts of memories God has graced me with. 

 What am I loving?

I'm loving that my ankles/feet are finally improving. I'm still not back at 100%. I'm still walking/limping quite slowly. And going downstairs is still extremely painful. But I'm slowly getting better each and every day. And for that, I am grateful :)

What have I been up to?

Some friends and I were able to snag a deal and take a little getaway last week. I was so so happy to finally feel well enough to actually go. This past school year was so incredibly challenging. So I was just totally exhausted by the time school finally got out. Then I've been, almost completely stuck at home ever since we got out of school due to my injury. So, to have a nice trip like this, full of relaxation and nice time with friends, too... 

Well, it was all really nice :)

What am I dreading? 

I've definitely enjoyed the lack of alarm clocks in my life this summer. So I can't say I'm looking forward to that starting back soon-ish. Although, thanks to a delayed start date, I do still have a bit of time left before I have to start setting those daily alarms...

What am I working on?

Reading more

 What am I excited about?

My birthday is next week. It seems crazy to think that I'll be turning 35. It honestly feels a bit weird. I love birthdays, whether it's my birthday or that of my family or friends. So, I'm definitely excited that mine is (almost) here. And I'm looking forward to celebrating with a few friends next week.

What am I watching?

I actually haven't watched anything in the last couple weeks...

What am I reading?

Y'all, one blessing that has come from a summer of "forced rest" has been all the time I've had to read. I didn't read a lot (for fun) during the school year last year because I had to (or rather, because I chose to) read so much for work and grad school. Plus, I had a LOT going on after school each day last year and if I tried to read in the afternoons/evenings, I'd be too tired to make it very far. So yeah, this summer has been amazing in that regards. I'm currently on my 24th book of 2020.

What am I wearing?

I've retired my flip flops and cute dressy shoes for a while. I'm wearing shoes that provide comfort and stability while my ankles are still healing. I do definitely miss my flip flops. But alas, 'tis not a great idea to wear them for the time being...

 What am I doing this weekend?

I’ll be getting together with my AG co-workers on Sunday. But past that, I have nothing planned. So I suppose I'll read a bit, do some studying, and take it easy while it's still Summer and I still can :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

Starting to prep for the upcoming school year... Our students' start date was bumped back to the beginning of September. So I've planned all along to use August as my work time. So I'm looking forward to setting up our classroom, starting to map out scheduling (which is going to be super crazy this year), and even doing a bit of lesson prep too. I love my Summer Breaks. Don't get me wrong. But this time just before school starts back is always so enjoyable for me. And even though there are still some unknowns, still some concerns/extra precautions due to COVID, I still am so excited. I really do love the excitement and anticipation that goes along with prepping for a new school year. And yes, I am stocking up on hand sanitizer and masks.

What else is new?

I typically don’t journal every single day. But I have been doing so a lot more recently. And using a new pack of pretty colored pens my mom sent me long before COVID makes writing even more enjoyable :)

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

Currently

Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne from In Residence for her monthly link-up, where we share what's currently going on in our lives. And each month, Anne gives us a list of prompts to use to guide our posts. 

July's prompts are...

  * cooking *  photographing * sharing * trying * wondering *

So what am I currently up to?

I'm currently cooking very little, as I still can't stand (on my "good" foot) very long without being in pain. And let's face it... Trying to cook while using crutches is almost impossible. But thankfully, I've had sweet friends sharing meals with me, having food delivered, etc. I've been blessed for sure.

I'm currently photographing very little since I've been stuck inside my apartment for almost one full month. That fact totally boggles my mind, y'all. 

I'm currently sharing very little on the blog. I've got lots of ideas. I've even drafted a couple posts. But, I just haven't shared them. Writing has always been kind of therapeutic for me. But lately... Lately, my heart just hasn't been in it.

I'm currently trying to take care of all the things online since I wasn't able to go back to the States this summer. How is it that everything expired during the one summer I was NOT in the US? What are the odds of that? ;) 

I'm currently wondering a lot of What ifs as I prepare to go back for more x-rays and a follow-up with the doctor on Friday.  What if it's worse? What if he says I need surgery? What would that mean for the upcoming school year? Where would I go for it? What about COVID-19? How would that affect surgery and travel and such? How would I arrange a wheelchair at an airport? What about the financial implications of a more serious injury? And what about recovery time? I'm a teacher that teaches 8 out of 8 periods a day. I don't have a lot of downtime during the day. So how would that work? The fear of the unknown is a big thing for me.

 And since it's my blog and I can, I thought I'd share a couple more...

I'm currently taking a class on assessing students with special needs. I can't say that assessments are my most favorite thing in the world. But it is a necessary part of the education world. So why not learn more about it and help out the people God has placed in my care? :)

I'm currently liking this quote a friend shared on Facebook the other day. It pricked my heart, for sure. What a great reminder of the importance of His Word!

  So what about you?

What are your currently up to?