What's Up December

 Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay and Sheaffer for the last What's Up Wednesday link-up of the year. 2023 was a wild ride. Here's hoping 2024 is amazing!

Every month we answer the same list of questions based on how things are currently going in our lives.

So let's get started...

What am I eating?

I'm eating all sorts of deliciousness... There's been Chick-fil-a and Mexican food from restaurants, the yummy spread we had on Christmas Day, an amazing baked potato topped with BBQ beef brisket I had last week, and so on. But one of my favorite things to eat (and make) was pancakes with my nieces. It's become a bit of tradition anytime I'm here visiting, to make chocolate chip pancakes with my nieces. And as they've gotten older, they've taken over more and more of the responsibility of making them. It's so fun to see how they've grown and to spend this time with them. Such precious memories for sure!

What am I reminiscing about?

My dad always loved the old trucks, especially red ones. So any time I see one I think of him. I think that's why I love how often you see them on Christmas decor. It makes me think of him. And of course, I always spend time at the holidays reminiscing about days gone by, thinking about my dad and wishing he was still with us, enjoying the family memories we're making together.

 What am I loving?

Being with my family :)

What have I been up to?

I mean, technically, the same answer from the last question could easily go here too. Seriously, being with my family is great. And this was the first time in a long time that we were able to actually celebrate Christmas together on Christmas Day and not a day before/after in a long long time, so that was special!

What am I dreading?

Nothing

What am I working on?

I finally mailed out my long overdue newsletters, along with Christmas cards, a couple days after landing in Alabama. Thankfully, I had my sweet mama to help me address/stamp the big stack of envelopes.

 What am I excited about?

I got some graduation cards in the mail the other day. How is it possible that there is only 5.5 more months 'til some of my favorite kiddos graduate? I know I'll cry when the day comes to deliver those cards. But boy am I so incredibly excited for, and proud of, each and every one of those incredible kids. I have known some of them since elementary school, some since middle school, and some for just a year or two. But I feel the same about them all. It's been such a joy working with their class! And it truly is exciting to think about what might be next for them all!

What am I watching?

Very little.

What am I reading?

I haven't been reading much. But I do have a couple books downloaded on my iPad, ready to read on my return flight to Dakar next week, thanks to a Christmas gift of an Amazon gift card.

What am I listening to?

I'm still listening to Christmas music. Although, I suppose that I should stop, since Christmas is over. However, my mom's family's Christmas get-together is this weekend coming up, so technically Christmas isn't over for us yet. So I can still listen to Christmas music a bit longer. Right? ;)

What am I wearing?

All the cold weather clothes... Oh my word is it cold here! I recognize it's only in the 50s here and that's nothing compared to some parts of the US (and beyond). But for this girl who's used to Dakar's temps, the 50s is freezing! :)

 What am I doing this weekend?

Meeting up with friends on Friday, dinner with my aunt and uncle (dad's brother and wife) Friday, celebrating Christmas with my mom's side of the family on Saturday, church somewhere on Sunday, and I'll need to make a Wal-Mart run at some point this weekend to buy a few food items to take back to Dakar with me too. Then past that, who knows what mischief I'll get into :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

The first couple days of the month, I'll still be in Alabama with my family. So that'll be nice. I leave on the 3rd, heading back to Senegal. And, past that... I typically love the return back to my students in January. I love hearing about their December Breaks with their families. I love hearing from those who celebrate Christmas on how that went. I love seeing their excitement over being back together again. It's a fun time as a teacher :)

Favorite recent Amazon find?

I ordered myself this shirt. Now when I'm all emotional over the thought of my people graduating or stressed over all the busy-ness of second semester, which will be include even more this year for me than in the past, I can wear this shirt and pretend it is (and I am) all fine. ha! :)

What's new this month?

Nothing much...

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month? 

Currently

  Happy Thursday, Y'all

I'm joining Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness, along with a few other bloggers, and sharing a look at what's currently going on in my life. However, I'm ignoring the prompts for this month and instead just writing about some of the random "currentlys" floating around in my head.

So what's currently on my mind?

I'm currently thinking about Christmas. I found the cutest shirts on Amazon for my nieces. Each one has something on it that I know they'll love. I wasn't even looking for them. I was looking for a dress for myself and for some reason, Amazon showed me these shirts. And the best part was that they were on sale because of an extended Cyber Monday deal. So that helped! And on the off chance, they're reading this over someone's shoulder, which could indeed happen knowing them, I don't want to post the pictures of them just yet ;)

I'm currently smiling over (about?) the sweetness of my students. One of my girls mentioned wanting to mail a birthday card to a friend in the States. So I quickly found a card design on Etsy, printed it out, and asked a fellow teacher if this student's classmates could sign it during his class the next day, and then a person visiting took it later that night to mail once he got back to the States. Then there was another student who helped me plan a snack theme for our Christmas party that all students could enjoy, including the one friend that has fairly significant food allergies. There was another student who asked to borrow my colored pens to write a birthday note to her mom, asking me how to spell certain words as she wrote. And yet another who excitedly told me all about his plans for an upcoming project he’ll be doing with his parents and the mission work they’re doing, because "I just love getting to help other people, especially when they don't know that I'm helping. It's all about them and nothing about me!" :)

I'm currently shifting into study mode with most of my people, as we prepare for their midterms next week. I told someone the other day that it's somewhat surreal... For so many years, as an elementary teacher, at this point in the school year, I would have been planning all sorts of Christmas crafts and coloring sheets and all of that. But for the last few years, I've been creating, helping kids study for, and administering exams. And while I do miss the fun Christmasy activities, I do so love what I'm doing now too :)

I'm currently enjoying this casserole I made the other day, with shredded pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, rotel, cream of chicken, a bit of chicken broth, cilantro, some random seasonings, and topped with grated cheddar cheese. And it lasted a while too! Y'all... It was so good!

I'm currently feeling happy that at the end of next week, I'll be able to see my family again, for the start of my Christmas Break vacation :)

I'm currently looking forward to Friday's lunchtime party with my students. We're having ice cream (or sorbet) and juice. Then they can either eat lunch and hang out in my room or take it with them when they come pick up their Christmas gifts. I enjoy this day each year. We get to "party" before the craziness of the last week gets here - when my younger students get out early since they don't take exams and my older ones will be busy studying for their exams.

And lastly, I'm currently planning to pick up this journal that I ordered for myself a few weeks ago when I arrive in the States next week. I like that there are 366 pages in it, so my plan is to take a page a day in my efforts to journal all year and also, to intentionally notice/show gratitude for all the ways God is working in my life in 2024. P.S. How is it almost 2024 already?! Is that crazy to anyone else besides me?! :)

And that’s about it for me.

What  about you?

What are you currently up to? 

What's Up November

 Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Can you believe that it's almost December?! I feel like this year has just flown by! It's hard to believe that it'll be 2024 in just a little over a month. I feel like I blinked and this year just zoomed on by. 

Anywho...

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.

So let's get started...

What am I eating?

I'm currently eating through my freezer/pantry, in an effort to clean out/up and also, to not have to go grocery shopping again (minus a bit of fresh fruits/veggies) before leaving for Christmas Break in a few weeks. So since there's nothing terribly exciting to show for that, I'll instead show some of the deliciousness we had on Thanksgiving...

 

What am I reminiscing about?

In November 2016, I wrote THIS blog post. In it, I wrote about a dream God had laid on my heart, to reach a group of kids that had no other schooling option in our country, including at our own school. I wrote about the excitement I was feeling, knowing this was about to happen in the upcoming school year. And I asked for prayer for all the logistics to be worked out. And it did. I remember being told that I'd have to raise the funds necessary to outfit the class and I said "no problem." And in just 2 months (actually less), I raised close to $8000 which I used to buy books, supplies, shelves, games/toys, chromebooks/ipads, and more for this class. I remember that first day of class in August 2017, taking a first day of school picture in front of the door hanger that said "Miss Nichols," and then stepping inside to wipe my eyes because I was crying. While the dynamic of this program and my classroom have changed since that day, I can still think back and remember the joy I felt in welcoming 3 incredible students into my room that school year. And to think of how we went from only 3 that first year to eventually "overflowing" with students. Ah, what a truly incredible gift it has been to be the teacher of those three originals and all the others who have joined them along the way. It's such a blessing to take the time to look back and reminisce on how God's hand has been so evident in this all the years.

 What am I loving?

I put up the Christmas tree in my classroom earlier this month. I'm loving being able to enjoy the multicolored lights brightening up my classroom. And I might have even gone home after school a time or two and then brought dinner back to my classroom to work there, just so I could enjoy the lights a bit more. I typically will not decorate my apartment for Christmas if I know I'm going back to the US for the actual holiday. So I really am loving having it in my classroom, seeing the lights shining in the background while we’re going about our day.

What have I been up to?

We had a senior class lock-in a couple weeks ago. And boy did I realize (or maybe not realize) just how tiring it could be staying up almost all night with a bunch of 17 and 18 year olds. Ha! In all seriousness, it really was a fun night! I loved seeing how happy/excited they were to have this time together, to hang out and play games, make attaya (a hot, super sugary tea), eat together, sing karaoke, watch a movie, and stay up all night long. Well, not all made it the entire night. But still... We have such a truly great group of kids. And I love that I have the opportunity to be able to work (and have fun) with them.

What am I dreading?

I have a bit of a cold. It's nothing major. But if I talk a lot and/or my throat gets dry, I cough. Makes teaching a bit difficult. So I guess I'm dreading the symptoms of that. And just in case anyone is wondering, it's not C*vid :)

What am I working on?

This morning, I worked on mapping out the midterm exams my high schoolers will be taking. I only have to administer two exams of my own. But since many of my people will take their exams in my room, I need to know who's coming/going when. That way when exam week comes, I'll be ready. Plus, by keeping track of who's taking which exams, I'm able to better help them study in the days before exam week. It's hard to believe that we're almost at this time. I feel like time has just flown by this semester!

 What am I excited about?

I bought my plane tickets for Christmas Break. I'll leave in just 16 days (from the day I post this). I will only have a short time and will be using this as a vacation time. So I won't be able to see many people while there. But, I am grateful for the chance to take a mini vacation and visit my family, to put some thank you cards in the mail to my amazing supporters, and to buy a few supplies I will need for the last few months of school.

What am I watching?

I've been re-watching old episodes of Guy's Grocery Games from the Food Network. I watch very little TV anymore. But that show is still a fun one. I'm planning to start watching some Christmas movies though :)

What am I reading?

I'm currently reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. I saw a preview for the movie version on Facebook a week or two ago and thought it looked interesting. So I decided to read the book first. It's not, necessarily, the type of book I normally go for. But it's a good read so far...

What am I listening to?

Christmas music, of course :)

What am I wearing?

I'm still wearing tennis shoes. Every now and then (mostly just to church or to take out garbage or for a quick trip to the store or something like that), I'll wear my sandals. But I'm finding the only relief I get is when I wear tennis shoes. So alas, I believe these will be a regular addition to my wardrobe from now on... 

 What am I doing this weekend?

At this point, I have nothing definite planned, other than going to church on Sunday and doing any last minute lesson prep and meal prep for the week ahead. I might go to watch some of our kids play basketball on Friday night or some of our guys play softball on Saturday. But I'm not sure. If I'm being honest, the thought of staying home and doing nothing sounds pretty appealing too. I love having that option, after all. So we'll see.

What am I looking forward to next month?

Christmas, of course - Christmas fun in my classroom, seeing Christmas lights and decorations, various Christmas parties with classes and small group and friends, the actual holiday of course, Christmas Break (no alarm clock), traveling to see my family... All the things! I love Christmas time! :)

Favorite recent Amazon find?

I haven't ordered anything on Amazon lately. However, I am looking for a dress I could wear at either the Junior Senior Banquet (our school's version of a prom) or Graduation this year or maybe both since the dates are further apart this year. So I might order that if I can find one on there. Shopping online isn't always the easiest, though... So I actually might just wait 'til I'm back in the US over Christmas Break and can shop in person. We'll see.

What's new this month?

Starting Friday (which I realize is actually not this month, but whatever...), I'm going to be doing my annual study of the "Christmas Story" from the book of Luke. I love reading a chapter a day, reminding myself of the goodness surrounding the story of the birth of our Savior.

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

I'm joining Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness, along with a few other bloggers, and sharing a look at what's currently going on in my life. 

The prompts for this month's post are:

* loving * buying * prepping * borrowing * planning *

So what am I currently up to?

I'm currently loving that it's almost Christmas time and I'm loving the knowledge that this upcoming weekend, I'm planning to put up the Christmas tree in my classroom. Yes, it’s early. Earlier than I’ll have ever put up a Christmas tree… But that’s ok because seeing the joy on so many kiddo’s faces (and mine too - let's be honest) will make it 100% worth it :)

Christmas Time last year

I'm currently buying nothing. My goal is to buy my Christmas Break plane ticket by the end of the month, though. Here's hoping I can actually do that.

I'm currently prepping nothing really... We had our big fundraiser for our seniors this past Friday. It went amazingly well. However, it required a lot of prep leading up to it. So I'm kind of glad to not have to be prepping anything for a little while, to be honest :)

I'm currently borrowing this meme I found online, as a way of discussing what makes a hero a hero in one of my classes. We actually ended up having quite an interesting discussion on it too. So... Who's your favorite hero? Does Jesus make your list? ;)

I'm currently planning very little for this upcoming weekend. I think my brain is still tired from last week's super full (busy) schedule. I've gotten spoiled this school year, having such a better/less full schedule than I had the years prior. So last week was tough, y'all. Anywho - I'm going to put up the Christmas tree in my classroom Friday afternoon and then go watch our school's musical version of Frozen JR that night. And that's all I've got planned, besides church and lesson prep / meal prep for the week ahead. 

And since it's my blog, and I can, I'm throwing in a few more Currently's...

I'm currently reading/studying through Genesis with one of my classes. We've been discussing a lot around Creation and science and evolution and all sorts of interesting-ness. I love reading God's Word and seeing proof, over and over again, to back up why I believe what I believe. I love that God gives us this proof in His Word and makes it abundantly clear.

I'm currently nursing a sore foot (actually it's my heel/achilles?). It's been hurting for a week or so. Then this weekend, it got way worse. It's not as awful as this weekend, but still annoyingly painful, and it appears that I'll probably need to continue babying it for at least a few more weeks. I mean, I live with a somewhat constant bit of dull pain, so I'm used to that. But this pain was new and so not fun. I talked with a doctor friend in the US and per her instructions, I'm taking meds and doing some stretches that should help it. And I'm also propping it up and icing it as much as I can.  Y'all... My poor feet. When I fell 3.5 years ago, I did a number on both of them and I don't think they'll ever be back to normal :(

I'm currently trying to focus my heart/mind into more of an attitude of gratitude lately. Trying to look at the seemingly little things (or sometimes big things) in my day that I'm thankful for... Things I sometimes take for granted. So when I get frustrated/annoyed, instead of focusing on that, ideally, I'll do better at focusing on the good. I don't always succeed. But I'm trying.

So what about you?

What are you currently up to? 

What's Up October

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.

So let's get started...

What am I eating?

Once a week our staff has the option to order Korean food for lunch. I don't do it every week, but I do splurge every now and then. My new favorite is this kimchi fried rice dish. Y'all, it's so deliciously spicy and flavorful and good. I love it! I also love that it makes enough to give me leftovers for dinner too. Anywho - That's what I'm eating today. Although, I kind of forgot to take a picture. So just trust me when I say it looks good and it tastes good too. :)

What am I reminiscing about?

I've been in a bit of a reminiscing sort of mood lately. The other day, I was sitting in the car, waiting on my friend to grab her things so we could go somewhere, and I noticed this school sign. And I started thinking about that first phone call I had with the director at the time, making plans for me to come and teach at Dakar Academy. I had only recently even learned where Senegal was, less alone this international Christian school in its capitol city. If I'm being honest, I was 100% scared at the thought of leaving Alabama, leaving my family, my home, and all things "comfort." But I knew... I knew God had called me to this place. I knew God had this adventure that is ministry in place. I knew I would go and love it. I went that first time in 2009, thinking I'd be here for just one year. And here I am, all those years later. I've taught 150+ students in that time, in a variety of classrooms and grades and subject areas. But sometimes, I think back to that first phone call and I smile. I smile at the memories of young 23 year old me, making plans for the big change that would be happening later that year. 

 What am I loving?

I'm loving all the beautiful green/flowers on our campus. I suppose that's one of the perks of this time of year. The rain / sun helps everything grow so nicely. It's just so beautiful! I love it!

What have I been up to?

A friend and I got to head out of town during our school's Fall Break a couple weekends ago. Thanks to a great deal on a hotel, I got to spend a couple days enjoying time by the pool, sleeping in a nice hotel room, eating amazing food I didn't have to cook, and hanging out with a good friend. It was a nice little break.

What am I dreading?

Turning on my stove/oven. Y'all, Hot Season in Dakar is no joke. And living in a small apartment, if I turn on my stove/oven, it basically turns my whole apartment into a sauna. It's so so hot! Therefore, I'm a big fan of meals - no matter how simple they may be - that do not require the stove :)

What am I working on?

Helping our seniors plan and prep all the things for our upcoming Harvest Festival at school. It's a big fundraiser for their class. And there are a lot of moving parts. So there's a lot to do to get ready for it.

 What am I excited about?

Is it sad to say that I'm looking forward to Saturday? This week has been exceptionally busy because of prepping for our class fundraiser happening on Friday, having various parent meetings and conferences, having mission meetings/dinners, and all the other meetings and general busy-ness of the teaching side of my job. And while most of that is fun and enjoyable, it still makes for a lot of hours and feeling super tired. So yeah, I'm so excited to have nothing planned on Saturday. And I might just crash and sleep the day away. Because as of now, that sounds absolutely amazing :) 

What am I watching?

I've been enjoying watching the seniors do all the things. I love how excited they get about wearing their senior hoodies or planning a fun game to run at the upcoming Harvest Fest or happily hanging out with friends. I love that I've had the chance to teach a lot of these kids over the years - as their elementary teacher or teacher of various middle/high school classes. And I love that I've gotten to watch most of them learn and grow over the years into the incredible soon-to-be young adults they are. This class definitely has stolen a piece of my heart and I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to play just a small part of their time at our school. It's such a blessing working with them. It really is.

What am I reading?

I'm in the middle of Beowulf with one of my classes. I can't say it's my most favorite thing to read. However, I must say... The lessons and activities I've planned to go along with it are pretty fun :)

What am I listening to?

Lindsey Stirling's music ... She is such a talented musician. And I love that the majority of her YouTube videos are upbeat songs and are just instrumental. I'm able to have it playing in the background, while I'm lesson planning or working around my apartment. So I can listen and enjoy the music but not get distracted by the words, because knowing me, that would cause me to want to sing along and get zero work done as a result. Ha! :)

What am I wearing?

Our seniors ordered hoodies and my fellow co-sponsor and I ordered one as well. A couple of our kids designed the hoodies and I think they turned out nicely. It's still far too hot outside to wear them, in my opinion, but the kids all very excitedly put theirs on right when they picked them up. Here's hoping Cool Season arrives soon and I can wear mine without having a heat stroke. ha! :)

 What am I doing this weekend?

On Friday, we have this semester's big fundraiser for our seniors. So since I'm one of the senior class sponsors, I'll be busy with that, all day. It'll be a busy/full day out in the sun. But it'll also be a lot of fun. So I'm looking forward to it. Then I'm thinking, I'll crash and just sleep all day Saturday. Then, on Sunday, there is church and I'll probably do a little last minute lesson prep after that. 

What am I looking forward to next month?

October was a busier month for me. So I'm looking forward to November being less so. There will also be our school Olympics day which is always fun and a fun event for our senior class, too. Then, Thanksgiving (hello yummy food!) will be happening, along with a couple days off from school (hello no alarm clock!). I'm also planning to buy my plane tickets to fly to the US for a quick vacation during my school's Christmas Break (hello to family time). 

Favorite recent Amazon find?

As I shared last month, I ordered this devotional, on Psalm 27, for a co-worker to bring out since he was coming this way this week. A fellow AGWM missionary to West Africa wrote this devotional and I've had it on my "to buy when I can" list and I finally ordered it, when the offer to bring things was given. I've already started it and I'm loving it! I definitely recommend it!

What's new this month?

Not much to be shared here :)

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

Currently

Happy Monday, Y'all

I'm joining Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness, along with a few other bloggers, and sharing a look at what's currently going on in my life. 

The prompts for this month's post are:

* loving * excited about * watching * seeing * observing *

So what am I currently up to?

I'm currently loving what I'm teaching. I've always loved lesson planning. I love researching activities to meet the needs of the students I'm teaching. I love finding creative ways to instruct my students and give them the needed tools to successfully master the standards for their various grade levels. I love finding little ways to make learning more enjoyable for them. Research has always been enjoyable to me and since this is sort of a form of research, I think that's why I like it so much...

I'm currently excited about this school year with my people. I'm soaking in all the things... Lessons I'm teaching, students' sporting events, small groups, class parties, senior/graduation events, chats with students, all of it... I'm enjoying it all and I'm so grateful to be here doing what I'm doing.

I'm currently watching nothing. I really do think I could enjoy living my life without TV. Just saying.

I'm currently seeing the price of plane tickets go up and up. I'm planning to buy my Christmas Break flight tickets in November. Here's hoping that price goes down before then...

I'm currently observing how God's working in a situation that is not quite ready to be shared. I love how God perfectly opens/closes doors, making His perfect will for our lives clear. And while it's often not on our own (even preferred) timing, it's on His. And that's what is most important :)

And since it's my blog, and I can, I'm throwing in a few more Currently's...

I'm currently drinking more water. If I can have ice and a straw, it's definitely far easier for me to drink water. And thankfully, it's better this year because I actually have planning periods this year, which means I have more time to break during the day if need be due to drinking all that water. Ha! :)

Although, let's be honest... I'm also enjoying drinking pumpkin spice chai lattes from a little tea garden down the street. I won't be able to drink them all the time, but y'all... This little weekly treat I buy myself is amazing. Just saying :)

I'm currently spending time laminating each week and I love it. I love the tediousness of it. I love that it's something quiet and simple I can do at the end of my day, as a way of "unwinding," all while helping out my co-workers. I enjoy it.

I'm currently reading and studying the book of Genesis, as part of a Ladies Bible Study I'm participating in AND as part of one of the classes I teach. And once again, I'm reminded about what a gift it is to 1) teach in a Christian school and 2) to learn new things from the Word of God each time I read it even if I've read the same passage (book) many, many times throughout my lifetime. 

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?