What's Up August

  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?

In an effort to have a healthy breakfast AND to not have to actually turn on my stove (because it turns my already warm apartment into a sauna), I've decided to have a smoothie... Usually, I can drink it at home while getting ready. But sometimes, I take it with me to drink on my way to work... 

What am I reminiscing about?

Time with family. I love being able to do what God's called me to do. But I do still miss my family and wish there weren't so many miles (or an ocean) between us...

 What am I loving?

I'm loving being back in school with my students. I love the hectic routine of my job. I love working out all of their schedules, making all the little "pieces of the puzzle" fall into place. I love sitting with them and talking with them and teaching them all that's required in our classes. I love reading with them and watching their knowledge base grow and grow. I love seeing those "lightbulb" moments, when they finally get some topic they've been struggling with. I love learning about their lives. I love discovering how they best learn and being able to meet their needs. My job is challenging and at certain times of the year (like now), it's even a bit overwhelming. But I truly do love it.

What have I been up to?

Lesson planning. So much lesson planning... 

What am I dreading? 

The rain

 You know, I love that the rain cools things down a bit around here. And granted, it's only around for a few months. But the rain is not my friend anymore. My ankles are so not happy when it's raining. Pain, swelling... It's just so not enjoyable. The arthritis in both ankles makes me feel like a little old lady when rain comes...

What am I working on?

Helping my people master opening a combination lock... And I may or may not be having flashbacks to my 9th grade year when I was stuck with an awful locker that was on the very far end of the hall and had a lock that would stick and refuse to open more times than not, making me late to my next class. I hated it! But hey, it's allowing me to have sympathy for my people. So I suppose it wasn't all bad. Was it? :)

 What am I excited about?

Nothing terribly exciting is happening in my life at the moment... It's not that things are bad. They're just not over the top exciting ;)

What am I watching?

I've just started working my way through The Office. I've seen clips here or there online and watched an episode or two on TV over the years. But I decided to finally start at the beginning and slowly work my way through. I wasn't sure at first... But it's grown on me :)

What am I reading?

I'm currently reading my 30th book of the year, The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. It's not really the type of book I would typically choose to read. But a friend recommended it and I'm actually enjoying it. 

What am I listening to?

Last night, I heard the Kristene DiMarco's song Fear Not for the first time. 

I love the lyrics of this song. My favorite part is at the beginning, when she says,

When life piles up and you're feeling overcome

Stand still and believe, I won't let you drown

When a cry's in your throat, watching all the waves below

Lift your eyes to the sky and trust that I won't pass you by

God definitely knew I needed to hear this song (and those specific lyrics) when I did. I'm so thankful for this reminder. ...that even when I feel the stress and feeling of being almost overwhelmed, with that cry "in my throat," I know He'll hold my head above the water. He won't just pass me by. What a great reminder!

 What am I doing this weekend?

There's a dodgeball tournament at school this weekend. So at this point, I'm planning to go watch some of my students and co-workers play in that. Then I'll be doing my usual weekend routine... Lesson planning, grad school work, church, spending some time with friends, and resting/relaxing as I prep for the week ahead.

What am I looking forward to next month?

Nothing out of the norm...

Although, I am hoping to have my new A/C installed by then. But we'll see... I'm still waiting to hear back on a final price before I completely agree to it. So I suppose I am looking forward to that hopefully happening next month :)

What else is new?

Grad school... I finished one class yesterday and a new one starts this weekend. This one is on Educational Psychology, from a Christian perspective. And I'm  looking forward to it. And let's be honest... I'm also looking forward to this being my next to last class. If all goes well with this class and the next one that starts in October, I'll finish by December. I love taking classes. I love learning new things. But doing so at the same time I'm teaching has been difficult. So very difficult. And considering this will be my second Master's degree, completed online, while teaching (teaching overseas, at that), I think I'm done with being a student after I get this degree. My brain is tired. :)

 

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. 

August's prompts are...

  * admiring *  anticipating * enjoying * spending * saving *

I'm currently admiring this picture I took at sunrise while flying back to Dakar this past weekend. I've always been a fan of sunrise/sunset. But this was the first time I caught it from the plane window. Isn't God such an incredible artist? :)

I’m currently anticipating the need for an umbrella being a regular thing around here for a while. Hello Rainy Season. I'd say it's nice to see you again since you sort of cool things off for a few minutes. But after that, you bring on humidity and big huge water puddles that aren't enjoyable to walk through. So I'm just not sure how I feel about you... ;)

I’m currently enjoying being back in Dakar. It's been nice seeing friends and co-workers again. It's been nice seeing a couple of my students (and former students) and their parents again too. And as sad as I am to see Summer Break (with its days of no alarm clock setting) leave... I truly am enjoying being back to work and prepping for the upcoming school year.

And yes... I even enjoy writing IEPs ;)

I’m currently spending my days in meetings. We have 2 weeks of professional development before school starts back for students. Although, we do get quite a bit of classroom work/lesson planning time built into that schedule. ...which is nice because that will give me time to meet with teachers about our shared students and to also start meeting with parents to start IEPs for the year...

I’m currently saving money by bringing my lunch this week, instead of ordering in from somewhere. It might be sandwiches most days because that's quick and easy. But hey... Nothing wrong with that ;)

Yes, I could totally afford to order delivery if I wanted to. But this is quicker/easier....

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

I'm currently reminiscing about some of the fun summer memories I made. It was a busy summer, full of traveling, speaking at churches, hanging out with family, visiting friends and mission supporters, and stocking up on all sorts of American essentials. Busy and tiring... But it was such a nice summer. It really, truly was.

I'm currently planning to celebrate my birthday on Friday with some friends. Yay for birthdays!

I'm currently buying groceries and things, trying to re-stock my fridge and cabinets. Well... I did that this past weekend. Ironically, I did well at stocking the fridge/freezer. But I kind of forgot a lot of the basics... Flour, sugar, that sort of thing. So I suppose I'll need to go again at some point this weekend.

And that's about it for me.

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?