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. 

The questions are...

 

What am I eating?

Nothing terribly exciting lately... I'm planning to do some cooking/baking this upcoming weekend though. We'll see how that goes :)

What am I reminiscing about?

A friend and I hosted a going away party, of sorts, for a friend who's leaving Senegal after many many years of service. It was so nice to sit and chat with friends, reminisce about the "good ol days" and to give her a proper send off. One of the hard parts of this line of work is the seemingly constant goodbyes, or see ya laters. And in the last year or so, it seems like there have been even more than usual. Ah, goodbyes... You sure do stink. Just saying.

 What am I loving?

I'm loving these sweet pictures that popped up in my Facebook memory feed the other day. I love thinking back on those days, when my nieces were so little. And I also love seeing the smile on my Dad's face... He loved being a Pawpaw to my nieces. He was definitely born to be a grandparent. That's for sure! Ah, memories... I love 'em :)

What have I been up to?

All the things that go into being a Special Ed. Teacher... I've been spending lot of time planning lessons, prepping activities, gathering supplies, having meetings, filling out paperwork, typing up IEPs, and actually teaching, too, of course. It's a lot. It's a good thing I like these kids God's sent my way ;)

What am I dreading? 

Nothing much :)

What am I working on?

We're in the middle of submitting our orders for school supplies, textbooks, etc. for our school's shipping container. When you live in a country without Walmart, Target, and Parent-Teacher Stores, you don't really have much choice... So we order months in advance and then wait for our supplies to arrive for the following year. So I've been researching the best supplies, Reading and Math manipulatives, books, other random classroom needs, online subscriptions, and more for us to use with the incredible students God will be sending to our program. Then, on top of that, I'm one of the class sponsors for one of our classes. So I've been researching the best prices for some of the items they need to order for things they'll be doing next year, as well. 

 What am I excited about?

I hope I'm not jinxing things. But, lately, it has actually been kind of cool in the mornings and at night. Not cold, of course... But y'all, I am most definitely excited about this latest change in temperature. It's a little earlier than normal for Dry Season (almost Cool Season) to arrive. However, I am seriously hoping that it stays for a little while.

What am I watching?

I finally watched the series finale of Seinfeld the other day. Yes, I know it's been out for a long time. But somehow I'd never seen it 'til then. Anywho - I was kind of disappointed with the finale. In a way, it was a let down and made me question a lot from the show...

It also made me realize that I just really could live my life without TV. I realize that I rarely watch anything anymore. ...unless it's just mindless, background noise, while I'm working around the house. So, if that's the case, then really... What's the point? 

What am I reading?

We just started novel studies with a couple of my students. We're reading/working through A Wrinkle in Time with one and Charlotte's Web with another. Novel studies are some of my favorite units to teach. English/Reading are my favorite subjects to teach, anyway. But any time I am able to incorporate stories my students actually find interesting with all the typical standards/content they are required to learn being met, too... Well, that's just the icing on the cake :)

What am I listening to?

Lately, I've been listening to this instrumental hymns playlist from YouTube when I'm working on my computer. I like having soft music playing in the background. This one, and others like it, are my "go-to's" at the moment. They're just so calming and perfect. 

What am I wearing?

Nothing terribly exciting... Although, I did order a fun shirt for my mom to include in the package she recently mailed to me. So once that comes, I'll be wearing that. Yay for new things! :)

 What am I doing this weekend?

We have Parent Teacher Conferences on Friday. Then we have our school's annual Harvest Fest that afternoon/evening. So I'm sure I'll be "crashing" by Friday night. Then, this weekend will consist of the usual... Lesson planning, grad school work, church, and and an AG meeting on Sunday, too. There won't be a lot of down time this weekend. But I'm hoping I'll be able to make up for that the following weekend. 

What am I looking forward to next month?

Thanksgiving - I have some fun/educational Thanksgiving and "being thankful" themed lessons and activities planned for my people. Then, there's Thanksgiving, when I usually celebrate with my fellow AGWM workers, serving in Senegal. And of course, Thanksgiving means a few days off from school too. And we all know that days off, with no need for an alarm clock or quite wonderful for me. So there's that too :)

What else is new?

My last grad school class started this week. Y'all... I am so very close to being finished. And yes, I will 100% celebrate being done when this class is over! I absolutely, positively cannot wait!

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. 

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?

What's Up September

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?

The theme of this week has been tacos. I made a big batch of taco meat and beans. So I've had tacos or taco salad for my lunches/dinners the past few days. I also mixed up a big batch of trail mix and pre-portioned it out into individual servings so I could have quick and easy snacks for the week.

What am I reminiscing about?

This photo popped up in my Facebook memory feed the other day. I remember taking it last year, noticing my Montevallo hat, and thinking back to the day I changed my major towards the beginning of my college career because I knew I wanted (and was supposed) to be a Special Education Teacher. And when I shared this photo last year, I was sitting in my classroom, marveling at all God's done in my life/career since that day all those years ago. He still has. I love my work. I love that God allows me to do what I'm doing. And I love reminiscing about all the memories made throughout my years of teaching. 

 What am I loving?

Finally having a working A/C again at home. We're currently in the middle of Hot Season, where the temperature and the humidity are both ridiculously, over the top, high, which is quite unpleasant. So yeah... Having A/C again definitely makes life more tolerable/enjoyable :)

What have I been up to?

All the lesson prep...

What am I dreading? 

I know I'll probably miss the rain when it's gone again. After all, once it finally stops here, it doesn't rain again for months and months. But y'all... I almost dread going anywhere lately, because I'm afraid I'm going to end up getting soaked by an unexpected rain shower and the accompanying massive water puddles everywhere after the rain is over.

What am I working on?

Doing a better job of looking for the beauty and goodness around me... I love the "flame trees" that bloom here in Dakar. They're so beautiful. And yesterday, when I walked out of my apartment building, I saw this one whose blooms had fallen off, given me the feel of Fall (even though it's a bazillion degrees outside right now, so nothing like Fall, for real)...

 What am I excited about?

We have a 4 day weekend coming up not this weekend, but the next. I love my students. I love my job. But oh my word is my brain tired and I am most definitely excited about and ready for this upcoming break :)

What am I watching?

I'm working my way back through Friends. Yes, I've already seen every episode. But it's still funny. And it gives my brain a bit of a break at the end of a long work day. So I'm enjoying it.

What am I reading?

I just started my 33rd book of the year. It's a total "fluff" read, meaning it's a light, no real thought needed type of book. And since so many of the books I read are either for work/grad school, I enjoy the occasional "fluff" book.

What am I listening to?

Nothing new or exciting... Anyone have a recommendation for me?

 What am I doing this weekend?

I told a friend I'd help her with something for her daughter's birthday party on Saturday morning. There's a lacrosse tournament at school Saturday night that I promised some of my kids I'd go to so I could watch them play. Then on Sunday, there's church and then afterwards, we're having an AG get-together. And at some point, I'll need to spend some time lesson planning and prepping for the upcoming week and to complete the week's grad school assignments. This weekend won't include a lot of down time or time to relax. But that's okay. The following weekend will be a 4 day weekend. So It'll even out in the end :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

Well, October will include 4-day weekend. And I am, for sure, looking forward to that. Past that, I have a few fun lessons/projects/experiments coming up with some of my classes that I'm looking forward to.

What else is new?

I applied for my grad school graduation. This will be my second master's degree. So if you add up my 13 years of traditional schooling + 5.5 years for my bachelor's + 3.5 years for my first master's +3 years for this master's ... By the time I graduate in December, I will have been a student for 25 years. It feels weird to be (almost) finished. People keep asking if me if I'm going to continue after this degree. At one point, I'd planned on getting my doctorate. And I actually would like to do that at some point. But I just don't think I can do that one online... I feel like it'd be a bit too much to handle at the same time as teaching (in a challenging teaching position, at that). So, I think my brain will be happy to no longer be a student for a change... :)

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. 

September's prompts are...

  * beginning *  ending * loving * picking * posting *

I'm currently beginning my newest grad school class, which is on human development/learning theories, from a Christian perspective. Just reading ahead a bit in my textbook has shown me that I'm going to enjoy this one. I'm also enjoying the fact that this is my next to last class before finishing this degree...

I'm currently ending each day, by looking back over the course of the day and making a list of the seemingly little things that made me smile. Things like a funny story from one of my students or a sweet note given to me from a friend or pretty flowers in this often sandy/dusty place I call home... 

I'm currently loving yesterday's lunch/dinner. There's a local Lebanese restaurant we can order lunch delivery from during the week. They make the best hummus. So I got a large enough container at lunch to give me leftovers for dinner as well. Add in the pita bread they send with it and some fresh veggies from home, and it's delicious perfection :)

I'm currently picking this as my "theme" of this school year. Because when I keep this perspective, I'm focused on the One who called me, who equipped (and is still equipping) me, who gives me grace and guidance every single day... When I keep this perspective, I'm focused on my students and the true blessing it is to be their teacher.

I'm currently posting (or rather, I posted) these pictures... I took them yesterday when I got to school. The rain might be a pain at the moment. But I'm loving how this time of year, the sky is so bright blue and the grass/trees are so nice and green. It's all so beautiful and a good reminder of how God is the Master Artist.

And that's about it for me.

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

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?