What's Up July

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?

Last night for dinner, I made some pasta with roasted garlic alfredo sauce and cooked some steak to go with it. It was a very simple dish to make, thanks to finding a jar of alfredo sauce at the American Store here. But it was so flavorful. I enjoyed it. And it made enough to feed a friend and me last night and still give me leftovers for a couple days. And not having to cook every day in this heat is most definitely a good thing :)

   
What am I reminiscing about?

I moved to Senegal for the first time 11 years ago (tomorrow). So this past week, I've been spending lots of time thinking back over the last 11 years, reminiscing over all sorts of memories God has graced me with. 

 What am I loving?

I'm loving that my ankles/feet are finally improving. I'm still not back at 100%. I'm still walking/limping quite slowly. And going downstairs is still extremely painful. But I'm slowly getting better each and every day. And for that, I am grateful :)

What have I been up to?

Some friends and I were able to snag a deal and take a little getaway last week. I was so so happy to finally feel well enough to actually go. This past school year was so incredibly challenging. So I was just totally exhausted by the time school finally got out. Then I've been, almost completely stuck at home ever since we got out of school due to my injury. So, to have a nice trip like this, full of relaxation and nice time with friends, too... 

Well, it was all really nice :)

What am I dreading? 

I've definitely enjoyed the lack of alarm clocks in my life this summer. So I can't say I'm looking forward to that starting back soon-ish. Although, thanks to a delayed start date, I do still have a bit of time left before I have to start setting those daily alarms...

What am I working on?

Reading more

 What am I excited about?

My birthday is next week. It seems crazy to think that I'll be turning 35. It honestly feels a bit weird. I love birthdays, whether it's my birthday or that of my family or friends. So, I'm definitely excited that mine is (almost) here. And I'm looking forward to celebrating with a few friends next week.

What am I watching?

I actually haven't watched anything in the last couple weeks...

What am I reading?

Y'all, one blessing that has come from a summer of "forced rest" has been all the time I've had to read. I didn't read a lot (for fun) during the school year last year because I had to (or rather, because I chose to) read so much for work and grad school. Plus, I had a LOT going on after school each day last year and if I tried to read in the afternoons/evenings, I'd be too tired to make it very far. So yeah, this summer has been amazing in that regards. I'm currently on my 24th book of 2020.

What am I wearing?

I've retired my flip flops and cute dressy shoes for a while. I'm wearing shoes that provide comfort and stability while my ankles are still healing. I do definitely miss my flip flops. But alas, 'tis not a great idea to wear them for the time being...

 What am I doing this weekend?

I’ll be getting together with my AG co-workers on Sunday. But past that, I have nothing planned. So I suppose I'll read a bit, do some studying, and take it easy while it's still Summer and I still can :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

Starting to prep for the upcoming school year... Our students' start date was bumped back to the beginning of September. So I've planned all along to use August as my work time. So I'm looking forward to setting up our classroom, starting to map out scheduling (which is going to be super crazy this year), and even doing a bit of lesson prep too. I love my Summer Breaks. Don't get me wrong. But this time just before school starts back is always so enjoyable for me. And even though there are still some unknowns, still some concerns/extra precautions due to COVID, I still am so excited. I really do love the excitement and anticipation that goes along with prepping for a new school year. And yes, I am stocking up on hand sanitizer and masks.

What else is new?

I typically don’t journal every single day. But I have been doing so a lot more recently. And using a new pack of pretty colored pens my mom sent me long before COVID makes writing even more enjoyable :)

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. 

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?

What’s Up June

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?

Lots of sandwiches

They’re quick and easy and don’t require me to be on my feet too long to make them.

  
What am I reminiscing about?

All sorts of fun memories with my sweet Mama... I know I'm making the right choice in not traveling this summer. But boy am I missing not having the summer to see her like I always do... 

 What am I loving?

I am loving how sweet some friends and co-workers have been to me since I got hurt. I live on the 3rd floor of my building. And I'm supposed to steer clear of stairs. ...which means, I'm stuck inside for the forseeable future. I've been so blessed by a few ladies who have continued to deliver meals, baked treats, caffeinated goodness, etc. One, in particular, has made dinner almost every other day, delivered some kind of baked goodness each week, picked up random things at the store for me, hung out with me, played games with me, chatted with me, and let me cry it out when the pain or the stress was at an all time high. And both her and another friend have texted, literally, every single day, checking on me. This display of friendship has been such a huge blessing and for that, I am so incredibly grateful.

What have I been up to?

A whole lot of forced rest time, thanks to a "freak accident" on the last day of work before summer. Navigating stairs is slow, difficult, and painful. So I've been stuck at home ever since - except for a short trip to get x-rays and a meal at a neighbor's house (in my building). It's been nice to rest. But the restless soul in me is going stir crazy and tired of being cooped up inside. I'm so ready to get out and see people again. Staying home by yourself almost all the time isn't all that fun.

What am I dreading? 
 

Nothing really...

What am I working on?

My newest class starts today. So that’s one thing I’ll be working on for the next 8 weeks. Past that, I promised myself I wouldn’t work on anything teaching related until July 1. So I still have a bit more time til then.

 What am I excited about?

There hasn’t been any of the usual excitement happening in my world lately. I’ve been stuck inside, unable to go anywhere or do much of anything. But I will say... Hearing/Seeing how excited my nieces get any time we video chat is pretty awesome :)

What am I watching?

I binge watched all of Kim's Convenience and now I'm working my way through Friends at the moment. And then, I'm thinking about watching Sweet Magnolias and 9-1-1 next. Anyone have another Netflix (or iTunes) suggestion for me? 

What am I reading?

I‘m still reading How to Be an Anti-Racist. It’s such an intense/serious/thought provoking read. I’m having to take my time with it. 

What am I listening to?

Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of hymns during my own prayer and Bible study time. There’s just something so refreshing about them, something so peaceful.

What am I wearing?

This boot for at least one more week... I go back next week on Friday to have follow-up x-rays done and have it re-checked by the doctor. I really, really hope he'll say I can start going without it. 

 What am I doing this weekend?

More of the same... Just sitting in the recliner with my feet propped up. I’ll probably be reading ahead for my class, too, though. 

What am I looking forward to next month?

Another month of not having to set my alarm clock very often still sounds nice. But more than that, I'm hoping that when I go back for my follow-up with the doctor, he'll say that my fractured ankle has healed enough that I could stop wearing the boot. Although, let's be honest... While I say I'm looking forward to that, at the same time, I honestly, just realistically do not see that happening... We'll see though.

What else is new?

I have some new artwork on my fridge now, courtesy of one of my sweet students :)

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

Forced Rest Is Still Rest

Want to see how I spent my last work day of the school year?

I was walking down the stairs, with my arms full of stuff, which should have been no big deal. However, somehow I missed the last step. Maybe the last two.

And now, for the past week and a half, this is how I've spent my time...

My "good" foot has a badly sprained ankle and is almost completely black and blue (well, mostly yellow and green at this point). My "bad" foot (in the boot) is also bruised on one side, but the worst part is that there's a fracture. A fracture which is situated right between two bones in my foot/ankle area (an injury called "dangerous" by the doctor). 

So the doctor told me to wear the boot on the "bad" foot full time for 4 weeks (even when I'm sleeping), use crutches, and not place any weight on that foot. Then we'll redo the x-rays and see how things have healed up. If it heals well, all will be good. If not, I may end up needing to have the boot switched to a cast or worst case scenario...have surgery one day in the future.

Typically, when you have a sprained ankle, you rest it. You don't put any weight on it. However, since my sprained ankle is on my "good" foot, I have no choice while walking with crutches (and needing to not put weight on my "bad" one)...

So, on days when I end up doing a bit more walking/hopping on my "good" foot than normal, I pay for it the next day, with a swollen and painful ankle. But thankfully, it's Summer Break. So I can camp out in the recliner all day and catch up on reading or enjoying a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Living on the 3rd floor of my building and knowing how difficult and painful navigating stairs is, I've basically been stuck inside. Thankfully, my friends and co-workers at school have been amazing. People have made me dinner, shared some cake they'd baked, come over and hung out with me, and offered to go to the store for me. 

After this long, I'm totally going stir crazy though. 

I miss people.

I miss walking to the store.

I miss chatting with the vendor when I buy my fruit/veggies for the week.

I miss riding past the beach, listening to the waves.

I miss walking outside and hanging out around campus with friends/co-workers.

I miss going to a restaurant.

I miss cooking.

Yes, I even miss doing my own laundry and enjoying the cool breeze outside while I hang it on the line to dry.

I miss being independent. I've never been the best at asking for help. That's definitely hard for me to do. So this time has been a real stretch for me. But it's not all bad. I know I have no choice. I truly can't do certain things for myself. Navigating stairs takes a ridiculous amount of time and causes a ridiculous amount of pain. So I will most likely stay home until it's time to go back for my follow-up x-rays in a few weeks.

And it hasn't been all bad.

I'm reading (for fun).

I'm studying the Bible.

I'm binge-watching random shows on Netflix.

I'm reading ahead for my class that starts the week after next.

I'm making To Do Lists for school since I'm still choosing not to work just yet. 

But most of all, I'm embracing the art of resting.

And I definitely needed the rest.

both physical and spiritual rest

And who knows? Maybe God knew this was possibly the only way to get me to actually slow down and truly rest. I don't know. At any rate, I'm taking advantage of this case of "forced rest" and embracing it to the fullest.



So here I will be

at home

healing and resting.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Today, I'm joining Ashley and Erika for their monthly Tuesday Talk link-up, where we, bloggers, come together and talk about whatever is on our mind at the moment. And today, injuries and rest are what's on my mind.

 In case you missed the past few months' of Tuesday Talk posts, and you're curious, you can click on the link below to check it out.

January - Confidence

February - When God Gives A Girl A Brother

March - I Spy

April - Technology and Gratitude

 May - The 2019-2020 School Year

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. 

June's prompts are...

  * feeling *  wearing * buying * craving * discussing *

So what am I currently up to?
 

I'm currently feeling such a wide range of feelings/emotions. I'm excited that Summer Break is almost here. I'm sad I won't get to go back to the US this summer and see my family. I'm happy I'll have lots of time to hide out in my apartment and read and relax. I'm nervous about all the COVID related issues. I'm exhausted from teaching 10-12 hour days for 8 weeks. And I'm also super proud of my students (and maybe even proud of myself, too) for rocking it at online learning. I'm heartbroken and disgusted by the current events happening in the US. I'm confused about why this hate is still so prevalent in today's society. See? So many different feelings/emotions...

I'm currently wearing masks. It's crazy to think how second nature it is now to put one on every morning.

I'm currently buying the textbooks for my Summer (July) and Fall classes in electronic formats. Or at least, I bought them the other day. My summer book was a little pricey. But my two books for the Fall were both super cheap. And since I'm a total teacher nerd, I know I'm going to enjoy reading them over the summer.

I'm currently craving normalcy. Whatever that looks like...

I'm currently discussing, or at least, I have been a lot lately at how crazy 2020 has been. It's hard to believe we're only just now getting into June. So much has happened in such a short time.

  So what about you?

What are your currently up to?