The 16th Dear _______ Post

Dear Packing, I finished you early Wednesday morning, with 15 hours to "spare" before I left the country. You were not fun. But now that you're over, I can say that I'm so thankful to have done you because you forced me to sort through my stuff, get rid of some things, and only pack what I absolutely positively wanted/needed. Yay for that blessing in disguise! :)

Dear Tearful Goodbyes, I got the "joy" of experiencing you last Wednesday - first saying goodbye to my roommate & apartment I've lived with the past 2 years and then the big one - to the family I've worked with/under the past 3 years. I've never liked goodbyes. But you, tearful goodbyes, are so much worse than a regular goodbye. Ugh! :(

Dear Person that Fed Me and Took Me to the Airport Wednesday Night, Thank you again for such a nice, delicious meal and for the airport ride. You made what was going to be a very difficult night for me knowing my strong dislike for saying goodbye, into a really nice night.

Dear Whole Row of Seats to Myself, Can I just say how incredibly over-the-top excited I was to have you all to myself on my flight from Dakar to Paris?! Oh my word! You were awesome! 5 hours of me stretching out, sleeping like a baby. I slept the ENTIRE time - even through the meal. Feel free to grace me with your presence again some time. I'd love to have you again! :)

Dear "Welcome home ma'am," You were the words spoken to me by the US Customs Agent in Atlanta on Thursday. I am so happy God has called me to work in Senegal. I love living there. I love my life in Senegal. But at the same time, I am so happy and proud to be an American. And part of the reason may have been me suffering from exhaustion, but Mr. Customs Agent, those 3 words you said to me on Thursday made me a little teary eyed. :)

Dear Caffeine Free Diet Mountain Dew, It's been too long. I've missed you old friend.

Dear Ice Water from Restaurants, I'm loving being able to order you again. It's so nice being able to order you and not have to worry if you've been filtered or not.

Dear Daisy Olivia, You, my future niece, are due to be born at the end of August. Your mommy and daddy and the rest of your family (including me) are so excited and ready for you to come! It was so much fun to stop by your house the other night and have your daddy and mommy show off the clothes and other fun things you've already received.

Dear Praxis Test, You were a doozy. That, combined with jet lag, makes me a little worried about what my results will look like. But now I just need to be confident in the fact that I did my best on you.

Dear Rain, You were a nice experience today. I've missed you so much!

The 15 1/2 Dear ______ Post ... A.K.A. The I'm Procrastinating From Packing Post

Dear Packing, You're so not fun. And I'll even go as far as to say that I HATE you. I'm just sayin'.

Dear Unpacking, I like you far more than your antonym. It's so much fun to unpack a suitcase, a box, anything... I love to be able to take my time, arrange things the way I want, decorate, etc. So right now, you, Unpacking, are what's getting me through the packing of my apartment.

Dear Sorting, I've been needing to do you for a while, but just haven't wanted to. You've been good for me though. It's been nice to go through things and decide what I should keep, what I should give away, what I should trash, etc. Yay for not having to move quite so much stuff! :)

Dear Hurt Toe, I received you when you decided to collide with the wheel on one of my suitcases. And oh my word, you hurt so bad!

Dear Memories, While packing up my apartment, I keep having you, Memories, hit me in the oddest things. ...a piece of paper, a book, even a t-shirt.

Dear Bruise on my Leg, I have no clue how I got you. And I guess since you're mad at me for having no memory of our first meeting, you're taking out your painful wrath on me because bruise, you hurt so bad!

Dear Empty Water Bottles, What is this? Am I storing up for a water shortage? How'd I collect so many of you by my bed? :)

Dear Tears, I've shed quite a few of you already. Wednesday is going to be hard for a few reasons. I keep telling myself it's bittersweet. But if I'm being honest, I'm having trouble focusing on the "sweet" part of the "bittersweet." Have I mentioned that I hate goodbyes?

The 15th Dear _______ Post

Dear 2011-2012 First Graders, You were an absolutely amazing class! You were all almost always extremely well behaved. You were all very bright. You were all respectful, helpful, polite, and all those other nice characteristics. You challenged me as a teacher. You made me have to think outside the box and think of new ways to challenge you since you were always surprising me with what you already knew. You were sweet and loving, offering a zillion hugs a day or beautiful art work and letters to adorn my "Wall of Fame" in my classroom. You were always eager to learn, asking a zillion questions a day, especially your favorite one-worded question, "Why?" You were almost always excited to be at school. You made the 175 days I spent with you so enjoyable in so many ways. I feel honored and privileged that I got the chance to be your teacher.

Dear Teacher Work Days, It's so nice to finally have the chance to sort through all those papers, books, games, supplies, etc. that I've collected throughout this past year. And the best part is, I can wear comfy clothes and blast my music while I work. :)

Dear Elementary Staff Dinner, You were this past Tuesday night. It was so nice to go to a nice restaurant and be able to sit, relax, and enjoy the company of my Elementary Family. :)

Dear Green Dress, I bought you because you were 1) on sale and cheap and 2) oh so cute. I'm finally going to wear you tonight to my school's Junior Senior Banquet and I'm so excited. It's always nice to be able to dress up and feel all pretty-fied. ...and yes, I did just make up that word. :)

Dear Packing, I am almost finished with you. PRAISE JESUS for that because I definitely would not have made it without His help! That is for sure!

Dear Mom and Dad, I'll see you in 5 days! Woohoo! :) I've missed you both so much and can't wait 'til Thursday evening when I can be with you again.

Dear 9 Years, You're how long I've been out of high school. Where has the time gone?

Dear Twins, I found out today that there is a very strong possibility that I'll have not 1, but 2, sets of you in my class next year. What are the odds? :)

Dear Missionary Supervisors, You're leaving next week for 2 years - which feels a little bittersweet to me. I am so happy for you - for getting a chance to visit with family and friends back home and getting to itinerate, and share your heart for Senegal. But at the same time, selfishly, I'm sad for me. You, and your children, have been such an incredible blessing to me these past 3 years. I'm going to miss you guys so much.

Dear Goodbyes, I should be used to you by now. I went to 10 different schools before graduating high school. I got used to saying goodbye to friends and family. Did that make it any easier? No. Now, I'm having to say goodbye to friends again - some I'll see again, some I may not. And it's hard. ...so hard. This is one part of my job I don't enjoy - the goodbyes. :(

The 14th Dear ________ Post

Dear Report Cards, You have to be finished in a few days. I only have a little bit of you left to work on when I go to my classroom tonight. I actually didn't leave you 'til the last minute like usual this time. But still, I need to be honest with you. I think you are my least favorite part of my job. ...just sayin'.

Dear Fresh Fruit, I couldn't seem to get enough of you this week. Apples, oranges, mangoes, pineapple, cantaloupe...Yum!

Dear Staff Dinner, You were so nice Monday night. It was nice to get a chance to sit and chat with my fellow DA teacher friends, enjoy beautiful scenery, and eat delicious food. ...and the fact that the meal was free was nice too. :)

Dear Internship for Grad School, I don't understand why you had to thoroughly mess up my summer plans. I don't understand why you had to be longer than my advisor has told me all along. I don't understand why you couldn't be nice and cooperative. BUT with that said, I know this is the time God wants me to complete you. I know that God has a plan for everything. And I know that I'm going to enjoy my time in good ol' Mobile.

Dear Pumice Stone, I love how you work diligently to clean away the Senegalese dirt from the bottom of my feet. In a sandy place where walking is my primary mode of transportation, you, pumice stone, are a much needed and valued product to me.

Dear Hurt Feelings, Your'e not fun at all. I experienced you towards the end of this week. Why do I let myself get to that point, though? Why do I get my hopes up about something someone says? Why do I let someone else's actions disappoint me and hurt my feelings? Why can't I just ignore it and let it go?

Dear Dr. Pepper, You've never been my #1 choice of soft drinks, but I do tolerate you. I had an ice cold can of you yesterday and oh my goodness...you were amazing, absolutely amazing!

Dear Friend (the word, not a certain person), You are a word I don't use lightly. I don't call just anyone my friend. So,  when I consider someone my friend, or when someone considers me their friend, that means something to me. It's so weird for me to hear people (teenagers and adults alike - both in every day life and on Facebook) calling people their friends and then not treating them that way. I don't understand that.

Dear Vendor at the Market, You may call me "your sister," "nice lady," and my oh-so-NOT-personal favorite, "pretty mama." You may try to lure me into your shop with English words and flattery, but Vendor Man, even though it doesn't work, I will give you an A for effort. :)

Dear Cute African Baby Dress, I bought you today for my soon-to-be-born niece. You are so adorable! I can't wait 'til she's born and can wear it! :)

Dear Hot Dogs and French Fries, I have been wanting you for a while now. So I broke my "not buying any new food 'til I leave" rule today and bought you. Yay for what will be a yummy supper tonight!

Dear Nap Time, When I was a child, I never appreciated your awesomeness. But now that I'm older, let me tell you nap time, I think you are just tops! You are a much anticipated weekend event. I look forward to Saturday or Sunday afternoons when I'm able to experience your sleepy-time goodness. :) 

The 13th Dear ___________ Post

Dear Picture Sent to me by a Friend, You made me smile! 

Dear Day Off From School, You happened yesterday. And you, day off, are quite awesome! It was so nice to be able to lounge around in my pj's most of the morning, get some packing done, get some studying done, take a nap, etc. I must say - I could definitely get used to days like this! :)

Dear The Vow, You were an amazingly wonderful book! Oh my word - It was so refreshing to read an inspirational love story - a story based off love between two Christians, who based their lives off of God and His Holy Word. BUT then I watched the movie. Oh my word - so disappointing! It was nothing like the book. It was incredibly inappropriate! Boo Hollywood!

Dear Ladies Movie Night, You were last night. You were so much fun! It was so nice to kick back, relax, eat yummy goodies, and watch a movie with the ladies I work with. I loved it!

Dear M&Ms, I think you're awesome. I've been slowly rationing your milk chocolatey goodness ever since I bought a big bag of you. Sadly, you're slowly dwindling away. Don't worry though. Our relationship isn't over. I'll be in the USA soon and will buy more of you. :)

Dear Patience, Late this week I finally saw a little of the results of having you for so long about a certain situation. While I would've preferred it to not have taken this long, it was nice to finally "see" this one answered.

Dear Sorting and Packing, I FINALLY started you this week. I really haven't been looking forward to you. However, it was nice to finally get started. Now my goal is to make a BIG dent in you throughout the rest of this weekend. Wish me luck Bloggerland. Wish me luck.

Dear Choosing Hope, You were the topic of a blog post I read this week. I opened this post on one of my hardest days, at a point when I'd been (literally) crying out to God, about some things in my life in which I felt there was no hope. You, blog post, came at just the right time. (FYI...The post I'm referring to, was written by a missionary friend, and can be found here.)

Dear Praxis Test, I registered for you this week. I'll be taking you 2 (yes, two) days after I land this summer. Let's hope jet lag and standardized testing mix well. :)

Dear Cherry Coke, I treated myself by buying a bottle of you yesterday. Thanks for the yummy-ness :)

Dear 19, You are the number of days left 'til I get to Sweet Home Alabama. I just love how low this number is now! :)

Dear Pennies, While teaching about you this week, I accidentally mispronounced you and said "panties" instead. Oh my! I was totally embarrassed due to the comments that came out of my first graders' mouths, especially when one sweet innocent girl decides to show off hers to the boy that didn't know what they were. Ah...Pennies, thanks for the laugh this week.

Dear 5 a.m., Thanks to my internal alarm clock being seemingly permanently set to you, I've gotten a lot of work done this weekend. While I would have preferred to sleep a little (or a lot) later, I must admit that the productivity that came from those few extra hours was pretty nice.

Dear Summer Internship, I should've known everything about you a few weeks ago, but your details keep changing. It's getting a little frustrating that planning my summer is on hold since I don't know yet when I'll be where. So, internship, if you could get yourself worked out soon, I'd really really appreciate it. Thank you.

Dear God, I'll be honest. I've always wondered why you don't answer prayers right away. In fact, at this point in my life, I have quite a few prayers waiting to be answered. And as I was praying the other night, crying out to you, asking why you're not answering them, you revealed something to me. Yes I may be going through a rough patch right now. Yes, my family members have not yet been healed. Yes I may still be feeling hurt about a certain situation, but You Oh God are still in control. What about David or Zechariah or Abraham and Sarah? They all waited LONG times (...years, even) for their prayers to be answered. God, you changed my perspective. You have a reason for everything. And you have a reason for choosing to not answer my prayers right now. I just have to trust in you God. And I do. God, I trust in you completely.

Randomness

Why a post on randomness? Well, I'm feeling the need to write, but would like it to be something semi-brainless so my frazzled mind doesn't have to think so much... :) So without further ado here is one of those surveys you see on Facebook...

‎1. A job I want to have when I'm older: I'm already fulfilling 2 of my dream jobs - teacher and missionary in Africa. But I would like to one day work in/help run an orphanage. AND I'd also like to be a wife and mommy :)

2: My favorite book: I rarely have time to read for fun. BUT I did just finish The Circle Maker and LOVED it! 

3: A random fact about myself: i went to 10 different schools from Kindergarten through 12th grade 

4: A description of my self-esteem: um... it's been better. 

5: My relationship(s) with my sibling(s): We get along really well and are pretty close... pretty nice if you ask me...especially since we're a few thousand miles and an ocean away from each other :)

6: Relationship status: single

7: A map of my day yesterday: I woke up at 5 to go walking. Go me! :) ...came back, got ready, had breakfast and did my morning devo, went to work, taught all day, came home, took a nap, ate supper, watched an episode of survivor, killed time on facebook, called my mom to cry "on her shoulder" about a situation i'm going through, read most of Proverbs, went to bed

8: My big plans for today? umm...the day's almost over. but my biggest plan for today was to find a way to get my students to understand adding American coins.

9: What I'm doing tomorrow: wake up at 5 & go walking, then work, meeting with one of my student's parent, work/eat supper in my classroom, small group/bible study, sleep

10: Most recent embarrassing moment: trying to say "pennies" to my 1st graders and accidentally saying "panties" ...yeah, 9 six year olds - imagine the immature giggling and comments :)

11: What I last ate/drank: dirty rice and salad...and water

12: Biggest pet peeve: people crunching ice 

13: Plans for my weekend: a day off from school friday (early weekend - woohoo!), movie night (The Vow) with staff ladies Fri. night, party for one of my kids Sat. morning, fine arts festival Sat. night, church Sun. morning, A/G mission dinner Sun. night

14: Most recent accomplishment: losing weight - 32 pounds since Jan. - go me! :)

15: Bedtime: between 9:30 and 10 usually

16: Wakeup time: dark and early - 5:00

17: Last thing you bought: lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers from the veggie stand

18: Last piece of advice you got: Just give it to God. I know that's easier said than done, but you just have to do it.

19: Favorite Movie: The Notebook

20: Something you miss: when I was a kid and life was super easy and Mom and Dad took care of everything :)

Top 10 TV/Movie Moms

In honor of today being Mother's Day, I thought I'd do a post on my top 10 favorite moms from tv shows and movies. So here goes...

1. Clair Huxtable - The Cosby Show

2. Carol Brady - The Brady Bunch

3. Jill Taylor - Home Improvement

4. Leigh Anne Tuohy - Behind the Lines

5. Jackie Harrison and 6. Isabel Kelly - Stepmom

7. Reba Hart - Reba

8. Lucy Ricardo - I Love Lucy

9. Mrs. Gump - Forrest Gump

10. Sophia - The Golden Girls