What's Up January

 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 had big plans to cook this past weekend. But due to various reasons (some within my control and some out), I ended up not cooking. Plus this week and next week, I'm working through lunch each day. And I may or may not be eating a big breakfast and then just skipping lunch OR eating a late lunch. ...or taking a bag of goldfish like the image below, and calling it a day. Ha! :)

What am I reminiscing about?

Christmas Break with my family - It was such a nice trip. I enjoyed spending time with them, taking it easy, and having some down time, too. One of the hardest parts of my job is being away from family so much. So when my ministry work is "on pause," so to speak (i.e. school breaks), and I can afford to (since it's 100% a personal expense and I never use ministry funds for it), I definitely choose to spend time with my family. It's such a blessing.

 What am I loving?

I love that I can follow the call God placed on my life - to teach some of the most incredible kids I have ever met. I love that!

What have I been up to?

We started back to school a couple weeks ago, so I’ve been busy with that. I plan for 16 lessons, fit into 8 class periods (some happening simultaneously). Granted, two of those aren't daily classes. But still... It obviously takes a lot of time to plan for all of that. So, it seems to take up a lot of my time. I actually do like lesson planning, for the most part, though. So it's not all bad :)

What am I dreading? 

I've been dealing with a fairly persistent headache. It's not a migraine, thankfully. It's more like a tension headache. And while it's not going on all the time, it is happening at some point almost every single day. Obviously, it's getting old and my brain, both literally and figuratively, is tired of dealing with it. 

What am I working on?

I’m one of the class sponsors for our 10th grade class. And we're in the middle of our big fundraiser of the year. It makes for a super busy month or so for them/me. But I’ve enjoyed it. These kids are awesome!

 What am I excited about?

My students, typically, are unable to complete assignments in the traditional way. So I'm excited when I find resources and ideas that work for my students. Whether it's a new way of practicing our Spelling Words using the computer or an interactive slideshow on the various organ systems or creating a Boys vs Girls game with a Q&A video series on all things genetics or breaking out the multi-colored markers to help us as we analyze a passage from the Bible. 

What am I watching?

Nothing new - Honestly, by the end of the day, I have zero desire to watch a screen. Plus, I'm a big fan of quiet once I get home in the evenings. So if I'm being honest, watching TV/movies holds little to no appeal for me at the moment. 

What am I reading?

The other day, I started reading my 3rd book of 2022 - The Little Antique

Also - I'm reading The Incredible Journey with a couple of my students. It's been fun re-reading this story, whose movie version was one of my absolute favorites as a child. My guys are loving it. So I am too :)

What am I listening to?

I may have said this earlier... But honestly, by the time I get home each evening, my brain just wants some quiet time. So I'm not playing a lot of music these days. I do typically put on worship music while lesson planning/prepping in the afternoons or on the weekends, though. So I suppose I am listening to some music every now and then :)

What am I wearing?

Nothing terribly exciting :)

 What am I doing this weekend?

Lesson Planning

Church

Shopping for the 10th Grade Class

Paperwork for the AG

And hopefully resting at some point too

What am I looking forward to next month?

Lots of things happening at school... The culmination of our big fundraiser for the 10th graders happens on Valentines Day. Then there are a couple other events or projects happening next month that I'm looking forward to.

What else is new?

Nothing that I can think of :)

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. 

January's prompts are...

  * anticipating * organizing * reading * resolving * scheduling *

I'm currently anticipating a long, semi tiring day. I left my mom’s house at 4:00 this morning (AL time) and I won’t get to my apartment in Senegal ‘til around the same time (AL time) tomorrow. Here’s hoping I can sleep on some of my flights.

I'm currently organizing nothing. But I have plans to be doing this in my apartment over the course of the next few months. Stay tuned :)

I'm currently reading my 1st book of the year. I also have a couple new books loaded on my iPad, ready to read on the plane, if I finish this one.

I'm currently resolving to embrace the concept of REST more this year. Physical rest and spiritual rest, that is…  My teaching position and my mission duties require a lot of time outside of my normal 7:00-3:00 job hours. Rest time isn’t something I have a ton of, but I’m going to protect what little I do have and use it wisely. 

I'm currently scheduling… Well, I should say, I’m currently reworking my schedule, planning out lessons and such, getting ready to teach the new (to me) classes I’ll have this semester. I’ll be teaching 1 new daily class and 1 new weekly class. That bring my total to 18 classes I have to plan for each week, not counting the study halls that meet in my room. It’s a lot. But thankfully, I have someone helping me with a few of those each day.

And since it's my blog and I can, here are a few more...

I'm currently feeling relieved to being done with grad school. I’ll still be busy with work this semester. But at least my nights will be free again. :)

I'm currently sitting at the airport, waiting to board my first of 3 flights, taking me back to Senegal. The goodbyes/see ya laters stunk. That's for sure. But at the same time, it'll be good to get back, to get back into a routine, and to see my people again...

I'm currently thinking back to all the fun I had with my family over Christmas Break. On New Years Eve, my mom and I introduced my nieces to the “candy cane game” and we all laughed and laughed as we played. 

I’m currently also thinking about my nieces. I’m so blessed to have had this time with them. 

 

I’m currently thinking, too, about their Mama and Daddy. They’re such great parents. And great people, in general. I kind of like them a little :)

And of course, in keeping with the theme…

I’m currently thinking about my own Mama. She and I both said, at multiple times, that this trip has been one of our best spent together. I hate that I have to leave her, but I’m so grateful for her support and encouragement for me and the ministry God has called me to do. She’s the best, y’all. She really is.

And that's about it for me at the moment.

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?