Currently

Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Can you believe it's already the first Wednesday of December?!

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. 

December's prompts are...

  * decorating * feeling * sending * smelling * wrapping *

I'm currently decorating (or rather making plans to decorate) my classroom door. Well, mostly my students will be decorating it. I'm just going to provide the supplies for it. We spent some time during one of my groups' study halls the other day, looking for ideas. And the plan is to start today, decorating it during "free time" during study halls and a bit after school. I can't wait to see their finished product. The picture below is the idea we got from a quick google search. But we've got a few other ideas on how to make it more "ours." :)

I'm currently feeling excited as I countdown the days 'til I can see my family again. And in case anyone is wondering... There are only 17 more days from today :)

I'm currently sending Christmas gifts to my brother's house via Amazon. I ordered a few things online since I found good deals. That way, once I'm there in a few weeks, I won't have to spend as much time in a store. Win, win! :)

I'm currently smelling nothing terribly exciting. Well, that's not true. I had this deliciously smelling goodness for a highly non-nutritious breakfast this morning. 

I'm currently wrapping up my very last grad school class. I'll finish in about a week and a half (or earlier if I can get more done this weekend). Y'all... I will be finished at the end of next week. I am so so very excited! Y'all have no idea! :)

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

I'm currently making plans for a writing project I started a while back and had to pause... I'm planning to start it back up in January (or maybe even over Christmas Break), since I won't have grad school work to do by that point. I'll still have to work late every day, due to the nature of my teaching position. But at least I'll have my nights free again :)

I'm currently looking forward to time with my family. I love my job. I love that I can follow the call God has placed on my life. But y'all... I miss my family. So whenever I'm gifted with the opportunity to see them I 100% take the chance 

I'm currently thinking about my dad. It's been 6 1/2 years since he passed away. And I miss him so much. ...especially at the holidays. He loved Christmas so much. It was always fun to watch his joy over the holiday and for preaching about the birth of our Savior. 

I'm currently starting to read through the book of Luke. My plan is to read one chapter a night through Christmas Eve. Then I have a Bible Study plan that will go along with it, to help as I read/study each chapter. 

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

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

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. 

October's prompts are...

  * borrowing * buying * planning * prepping * reading *

I'm currently borrowing ideas from the internet for activities to go along with some of the various lessons I teach. Ideas like the one below, for a fun (and tasty) way to visualize the different phases of the moon... 

I'm currently buying nothing terribly exciting. I did order a few things for my mom to mail in a package to me. It helps that my mom has access to my bank account. Because of that, I can order what I need/want, send it to my mom, and then pay the postage for it to be mailed to me here. But she can just be the messenger and take it to the post office for me. At any rate... I ordered a fun shirt and book for me, a small Christmas gift for my students, and a few other random things I needed, as well. And in a month or so, I'll be like Charlie Brown in the image below. And in case anyone's wondering... Amazon won't ship the majority of items directly to Senegal and the few things they will ship include an outrageous shipping fee attached to it, so it's cheaper to do it the way I'm doing it...

I'm currently planning to enjoy this upcoming weekend. Have I mentioned lately that we get a 4-day weekend? Because, while I do love my students, I am most definitely excited about the prospect of a long weekend and actually not having to set my alarm clock :)

I'm currently prepping lesson plans for the upcoming week. Or, at least, I will be  during today's mandatory work day. My goal is to do enough today and after our day of PD tomorrow so I won't have to do any work over the long weekend. We'll see if I can do that. Not having a planning period during the day means I have no choice but to work after hours (which is fine). But I'd really, really, really like to be able to take full advantage of the upcoming break and have some down time.

I'm currently reading through the book of Romans with one of my guys as part of his Bible class. I am loving hearing his take on some of these passages. And I love how well he's doing at going more in-depth, studying The Word and seeing how he can apply it to his life today.

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

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

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. 

May's prompts are...

  * consuming *  exploring * getting * hoping * seeing *

I'm currently consuming nothing exciting. Today's lunch is leftovers from yesterday's lunch. However, tonight, I am planning to have some people over for dinner. And since it's Cinco de Mayo and I love any excuse to have tacos, that's what we're having. And yes, the statement below is 100% true. After all, every day is a good day for tacos :)

I'm currently exploring the make-up of plant and animal cells with one of my guys. I love seeing my students' creativity shine. ...especially when they are learning something at the same time :)

I'm currently getting new shoes to replace my favorite ones who finally "died." Or, at least, I will be once I can get back to the States this summer and go shoe shopping. And thanks to some friends in the States, I actually have a new pair of shoes coming out in the next few weeks. So yay for that too! :)

I'm currently hoping to be able to see as many family members, friends, and missions supporters as possible this summer. Anyone want to hear about some of the cool things God is doing in Senegal? I still have a few open dates. I could share with your church, class, small group, or even over coffee or a meal. Send me an email today and we'll set something up.

I'm currently seeing the light at the end of the grad school tunnel. My latest class finished last night. And then I will finish either in December or in May. It all depends on how many classes I want to take in the Fall. At any rate, I currently have 8 weeks of "freedom" before my next class begins. I include the quotes in there because I'm obviously still working/living life. So not totally free... ;)

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

I'm currently studying the book of Daniel with one of my classes. And as we work through the book, we're writing our own book, recapping some of the highlights. I'm consistently impressed by the level of understanding of my people. And let's be honest... Anytime we can study more from God's Word, it's even better :)

I'm currently missing my mom and wishing she weren't so far away. I'm so happy I'll get to see her in just 39 days... I don't take the blessing of this trip lightly. That's for sure.

And that's about it for me.

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

Randomness on a Tuesday

Happy Tuesday Y'all

Ready for some randomness?

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Here's your funny kid story of the day...

Yesterday a student told me I had a lot of "glitter hairs."

Glitter = Gray

What I wanted to say...

Thanks, Kid. I'm pretty sure it's your fault I have them.

What I actually did...

Laughed

After all, what else can you do? Laugh at the craziness. It makes life much more enjoyable/tolerable after all. Laugh at the craziness. I think that's going to be my new motto in life. 

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12 years ago, I was offered a job at Dakar Academy. How in the world has that much time passed? Some days, it seems as if that were just yesterday... In that time, I've taught Elementary School (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th), ELL (all grades), and SPED (all grades). I remember telling people before I left that I was just going for a year, maybe 2 years tops. And I'm thinking that God just laughed at me when I said that...

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It's almost Spring Break. We just have to finish out this week and next week. Then we'll have 2 weeks off for Spring Break. I love my job. I rally, truly do. But oh my word, Y'all... I'm so ready for Spring Break!

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I'm working on trusting in truth of the verse shown above. The thing is... I know it's true. But y'all, sometimes it's hard to connect what we know and what we feel. Sometimes the mind/heart don't work as closely as they should. Last week was intense. Between fears for safety in our country to the stress/added work load of switching back and forth between online learning and in-person learning to worrying about issues with my students to stuff going on back home and on and on... It's been a lot. But at the end of the day, I do know that Jesus is in control. I do know that He knows what's best for me. So I will continue to push through on the hard days and cling to the promises He's given me.

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 Happy Tuesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Ashley and Erika for their monthly Tuesday Talk link-up, where bloggers come together and talk about whatever is on our mind at the moment. And today, for me, that was a random assortment of things.

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. 

March's prompts are...

  * choosing *  imagining * making * recommending * wearing *

I'm currently choosing to come into work early each day, doing whatever last minute prep I need to do, so I can leave fairly soon after school's over. I used to do the opposite. But staying late every day, getting home just at dinner time every day was no fun. So when I came back from the States this semester, I switched it up. And I must say... I'm enjoying having so much time at home (or time to hang out with friends) in the afternoon/evening. Plus, since as a morning person, I do my best work earlier in the day, I'm actually NOT coming home each afternoon, looking like the picture below. So yay for that! :)

I'm currently imagining all sorts of fun things...

I'm currently making tentative plans to take my Praxis tests online. I have  to take 3 of them to renew my AL Teaching Certificate. And I just found out that they are all available online, which would allow me to take them here and not have to wait 'til I got back to the US. ...which could come in handy if I end up not being able to go back to the US this summer. 

I'm currently recommending this recipe for homemade orange chicken. I've made it a few times before and have loved it. Then I made it again the other night and tweaked it just a bit, and it turned out even better. I'll definitely make it again soon.

I'm currently wearing this shirt I got for Christmas. The high bun, sunglasses, and SPED theme... It's perfect for me. Plus, now that it's Cool Season (our "winter") here in Dakar, I actually enjoy wearing long sleeves. 

Yes, I did share the photo from Amazon. ;) I kept forgetting to take a picture of myself wearing it.

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

I'm currently working to do better at just "resting" at night. My brain has a tendency to shift into overdrive the minute I lie down each night. I think it's because I'm finally still and letting myself fully unwind from the day. So when that happens, my brain then starts thinking all the things... 

I'm currently finishing up my latest grad school class. I only have two more assignments to do and then I'll be done next week. I really have enjoyed this class. But even so, it'll be nice to have a bit of a break :)

I'm currently reading through the book of Isaiah. A book full of so much richness, so much of the goodness that is the hand of God at work, so much hope for the future.  

And that's about it for me.

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

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?