Hello Monday

      Happy Monday Y’all

Can you believe we’re already in November? I feel like if I blink, it’ll be Christmas already. 

Anywho, on to today’s post…

Today I'm joining Holly and Sarah, and a few other bloggers, for today's Hello Monday link-up, where we say Hello to Monday with a look at what's going on in our lives at the moment.

 So what's on my mind?

A lot. But 'tis the norm with me, I suppose.

Things like...

Daily Morning Photos - I’m still taking them. And every now and then, I get lucky and get to see a view like this one I saw just before walking into work one day last week.

Cute Crafts - One of the perks of teaching little ones again is getting to do cute crafts like these…

Friends - I got to see these guys this weekend while they were in town visiting for a bit. It was so nice to sit and reminisce/catch up. One of the things I’ve missed the most since leaving Senegal has been the friendships and the time spent hanging out with people, going out to eat, doing life together, or even just sitting together and chatting. I don’t have that here and it’s been taking its toll on my mind/heart. So yeah… This weekend’s meet up was so very nice :)

Time Change - Time changed this past weekend. After not living in a country that did that for over a decade, I think it’s going to take some getting used to. It’s so dark when I leave and if I stay after school and work or stop by the store on the way home, it’ll probably also be dark when I get home too. The perk, though? I’m waking up naturally, before my alarm and able to get more stuff done then. And as someone who’s definitely a morning person and thus, far more productive in the mornings, I do like that part of it :)

Halloween - I could live my life without it. But I do enjoy the cuteness that is little kids in their costumes. And I may or may not have worn this fun shirt on the day of to school too. So there’s that, as well ;)

Greek Food - I got some delivered a couple weeks ago. Y’all… It was so so good! And it was already pretty affordable, but then because the portion sizes were so big, I was able to enjoy the leftovers at 2 other mealtimes. So that made the price even better! I’ll definitely be getting it again one day.

Paperwork - It’s a seemingly never ending part of my job. Every time I think I’m even somewhat caught up, there’s something else that comes along. Prepping, forms to fill out, data to keep, paperwork to print, copies to make, etc. It’s a lot for all teachers and even more so for Special Ed Teachers. But yeah… It’s the part of my job that I can’t really do during the day (because I’m actually teaching) and since I only get a 30 minute planning period (which I often lose because of meetings and other responsibilities) and since I don’t get a prep-free lunch (because I’m with my kids), it’s why I spend time either before or after school and also on the weekends working. I don’t mind putting in the extra hours. I really and truly don’t. It’s part of the job of course and I am more than happy to do it. But if a non-teacher tells me how nice it must be to only work 7:30 to 3:30, this is what I think of ;)

Family - I’ll get to see them this upcoming weekend. Yay! Thanks to us having a 3 day weekend due to Veterans Day, I’m driving up to my mom’s after work on Friday. The plans are to help her pack and to also finally sort through and pack all of my own stuff that’s been in storage for a while too. Then hopefully we’ll be able to finish packing when I come back again the week of Thanksgiving. Then she’ll be able to move down here with me. I can’t wait!

And that’s about it for my scattered brain today. 

What about you?

 What’s on your mind today?  

Hello Monday

      Happy Monday

Today I'm joining Holly and Sarah, and a few other bloggers, for today's Hello Monday link-up, where we say Hello to the week with a look at what's going on in our lives at the moment.

 So what's on my mind?

A lot. But 'tis the norm with me, I suppose.

Things like...

Mornings - The mornings have been a little chilly lately. It doesn’t stay that way all day, but I’ve definitely needed my sweater most mornings. And before anyone from here says anything, just remember… I’ve been living in a place where I rarely ever needed to where a sweater/jacket for the ENTIRE YEAR. So yeah… To me, it’s chilly :)

Chips and Salsa - Is there anything better? ;)

Vehicle - I’m searching for a vehicle. Know of one for sale? Or know of someone who wants to just give one away to bless someone else. I’d be fine with that too ;) Honestly, I’ve been blessed this far, as the vehicle I’m driving was loaned to me to use as long as I needed it. And while I wish I could just buy it since it’s such a great vehicle, that’s not an option. So I’m looking for something…

Apple Tasting - We did this with our students last week. It was fun seeing their reactions as their either tried each item or as they strongly refused to try them due to their seemingly “yuck” factor :)

Almost Move-in Time - I still can’t believe it’s about to happen. The plan is to move in this upcoming weekend. I won’t have a lot in terms of furniture/decor. That’ll come in late November or early December when my mom and I have finished packing up her place and moved her down here with me. But I’ve got enough for what I need between the little I’ve bought and the little friends have given me. So yay!

I’m tired. - A friend shared this on social media on Friday and I reshared it because boy oh boy, is it true for me. Y’all, Friday was tough. I’m not going to lie. So I was exhausted by the time I finally got home. And after running some errands Saturday and having a full Sunday as well between church and going to do lesson prep, I still feel a little tired. I also think one of my students shared their cold with me. So that’s adding to the “tired” feeling. But yeah… Teaching is hard work, y’all.

Church - Yesterday evening I went to Knollwood Church’s Made to Thrive Ladies Conference. It was such a nice service with a timely message on always trusting God. I visited this church last week as well and loved it then too. I’ve been visiting so many different churches since getting down here in July, and have been so ready to find THE one and settle in. And I must say… It feels like I found it.

Reminders - I looked down while sitting at a red light the other day and saw my new keychain through the steering wheel. All I could read was the part of the verse that says, “with you always,” but I realized in that moment, that was the reminder I needed. I’ve been a fairly open book on here. My transition in moving back to the US, leaving Senegal, and starting a new job that I love but is far more difficult than I ever imagined… All of that has been challenging, to say the least, and I’ve been struggling and feeling like God had forgotten me. Was that true? No, of course it wasn’t. I knew He hadn’t. But it’s just where my mind kept going… So when I saw this keychain for sale a week or two ago, I bought it. And then the other day as I looked at that part of the verse - “with you always” - I smiled. I’m thankful that God loves me and is patient with stubborn, thick headed self, and waits for me to remember that He truly is with me always…

And that’s about it for my scattered brain today. 

What about you?

 What’s on your mind today?  

Hello Monday

      Happy Monday, Y'all

Today I'm joining Holly and Sarah, and a few other bloggers, for today's Hello Monday link-up, where we say Hello to Monday with a look at what's going on in our lives at the moment.

 So what's on my mind?

A lot. But 'tis the norm with me, I suppose.

Things like...

This Road - It’s one of my favorites. I love how the trees provide a sort of “awning” over the road. I’ve always loved this road. And now that I’m living in this area, I have the chance to drive down this road every now and then. And each time it makes me smile :)

Copies - When your curriculum is online and you don’t have textbooks, but your students are far more focused when NOT on computers/tablets, you print out a large chunk of your work for the week instead. My apologies to all the trees ;)

Rain - It hasn’t rained a ton since I’ve been here. But every now and then, it will… And according to all the weather reports I’ve seen, another hurricane is heading our way this upcoming weekend. Although, I’m praying it’ll miraculously “fall apart” while still somewhere out in the ocean and not make landfall at all…

Overwhelmed - This has been the feeling I’ve felt quite a bit lately. I think it’s just the combination of all the “new” in my life combined with reverse culture shock of being back in the US after being gone for so long, still not being in my own home, not finding a church that I feel “at home” in yet, still struggling with the challenge of teaching in America again, and missing certain aspects of life and ministry and work in Senegal…

Sunrise/Sunset - There is something incredible about being able to see a sunrise/sunset. It’s my favorite times of day and I love that God allows me to see them periodically, while driving to/from work.

Wearing Yellow - On Friday, we all wore yellow as part of our Go Gold Day, where we raised funds and raised awareness for childhood cancer. 

And that’s about it for me.

What about you?

What’s on your mind today?  

Hello Monday

      Happy Monday

Today I'm joining Holly and Sarah, and a few other bloggers, for today's Hello Monday link-up, where we say Hello to Monday with a look at what's going on in our lives at the moment.

 So what's on my mind?

A lot. But 'tis the norm with me, I suppose.

Things like...

Morning Views - I’m still loving them :)

Pete the Cat - I think I’ve mentioned it on here before but if not… My people are obsessed with Pete the Cat. We have story time during lunch and snack (in our classroom) each day, and 9 times out of 10, their first choice is going to be Pete the Cat. Anywho - I got the idea for a new behavior/reward tracker the other day using Pete the Cat and I prepped it over the weekend. Once Pete gets his 4 groovy buttons velcroed onto his shirt, they get a little prize. 

Being the Newbie - It’s hard. What’s even harder is knowing you have 14 1/2 years of teaching experience but since things are done wayyyyy different here, you’re left feeling like a definite newbie most of the time. Either that or stressed and feeling like your brain is swimming due to information overload. Or maybe feeling all of the above…

Stress Reliever - I’ve found a new stress reliever though. The friend I’m staying with has a couple dogs, one of which loves to be petted and typically tends to get as close to me as possible most of the time. So I guess it’s a win win. He gets the attention he wants and I get the stress relief from petting him. Ha! :)

Sunshine - I got this sticker at Walmart a week or so ago and I love it. It’s such a good reminder to look ahead at the good that’s coming… 

Sweetness - I received the sweetness below in an email from one of my former students from the school in Dakar. Bless his sweet heart… Neither his mom nor I knew that he knew how to even share a Bible verse from his audio Bible app, but apparently he figured it out. The part that made me cry was him telling me he would be praying for me :)

Missing the Beach - I’m missing the beach. It’s funny. I could live my live without having to even sit in the sand. But there’s just something relaxing about sitting close enough to see and hear the waves crashing. I love it! In Dakar, I could easily go to a restaurant on the water often and enjoy a meal while being so close to the water. Ironically, I now live close to water again (not quite as close as I was in Dakar, but still). However, I haven’t been yet. Hopefully I’ll be able to remedy that soon though. 

Renewal - Yesterday morning in church, the pastor said something that stuck with me. He was talking about how revival - true revival - starts in us. But before that revival can come, we need to be renewed… When he had this definition of “renewal” pop up on the screen, I felt like he was talking directly to me. It’s no secret that my move from Senegal and my close to 15 years of life/ministry there back to America has been difficult. I was burnout for sure when I left. I was hurt by how things ended with my mission. I was heartbroken at leaving my students, good friends, a place I loved, my home, and the life I’d known for so long. I felt like I’d lost my sense of purpose and identity and I just felt utterly and completely worn out and broken down. While I’d like to say things are 100% better, I can’t. I’m still struggling/dealing with a lot of that. But slowly, I’m getting better… And I know God’s working on/in me. Anywho - It was just such a sweet reminder that God will provide the renewal (and the revival too) that I so desperately need :)

And that’s about it for my scattered brain today. 

What about you?

 What’s on your mind today?  

Hello Monday

      Happy Monday, Y'all

Today I'm joining Holly and Sarah, and a few other bloggers, for today's Hello Monday link-up, where we say Hello to Monday with a look at what's going on in our lives at the moment.

 So what's on my mind?

A lot. But 'tis the norm with me, I suppose.

Things like...

Sunrise - I usually leave too late to see the sunrise. But one morning this past week, I had to leave a bit earlier since I needed to get gas. And thankfully, I was able to catch the tail end of the sunrise as a result. Isn’t it beautiful?

My Job - I love my students. They are super cute and funny and just fun to be around. They are also fun to teach. I love seeing their little minds at work and seeing those “lightbulb moments,” when they catch on to something that’s been confusing for them. But y’all… This job is difficult. Emotionally, physically, mentally exhausting and difficult… The extra stuff that comes along with teaching a class like mine is sometimes unreal. That’s probably why I’m going to bed around 8:00 each night. Ha! I am so eternally grateful for this job and I’m also grateful for the opportunity to teach these sweet friends. But still… If you know a Self-Contained Special Ed Teacher in America, give them a hug. Or maybe give them a nap time. They need it :)

Little Celebrations - I saw the image below on Facebook and saved it. We totally do this in our classroom, too. We celebrate all the things :)

Alabama - We had College Colors Day at school the other day, where kids could dress out of uniform if they wore a college shirt/jersey. And of course, I supported Bama :) 

Family - Since it was a three day weekend, I drove up to my mom’s to spend the weekend there. It’s been so nice having the time with her, having down time to rest, and spending time with the rest of my family too, like when we went to church together yesterday and then out to eat afterwards. And yes my brother does like looking like a dork in photos. But it makes me laugh so I’m glad he’s such a goofy guy the majority of the time :)

Beautiful - I got this beautiful shot as we were getting in our cars, leaving the restaurant last night. I love sunrise/sunset. It’s just such a beautiful time!

House Hunting - I’m still looking. Y'all, I had no idea it’d take this long...

Pause - This is my newest water bottle sticker. It’s a good reminder to pause, take a breath (and a sip of water), and then continue. Sometimes we need to pause and give our brain/heart the time to catch up. Sometimes we need to pause and not speak/react right away. Sometimes we need to just pause and breathe for a sec. 

Yep - I saw the post below on Facebook yesterday, shared it, and then screenshotted (screenshot?) it to save to read again later. It was a reminder of how God sees and knows. And considering how I’m at a point in my life where I’m struggling to remember that about my Creator… When I’m struggling with feeling like nothing’s working out, still searching for a house/vehicle, missing the sense of community I had in Dakar and constantly feeling alone, struggling with the difficulties of my job and feeling inadequate and dumb, visiting various churches and not feeling 100% at home or 100% at peace yet with one, and on and on… Well, it truly was such a timely reminder for me that my Creator knows and He sees. 

Friendship - One of the things that’s been hardest about leaving Senegal has been going from being in a small community with lots of friends and always having dinner with people or going places with people or hanging out with people, etc to now having none of that. I go to work. I come home. I go to church. I come home. I miss friendships. I miss going out to eat with people. I miss hanging out at a friend’s house. I miss doing stuff with a friend. I miss living life with people. It’s been extremely lonely and difficult to have gone from having so much of that to having absolutely nothing. This arrived in the mail a little over a week ago and my brother offered to open it for me to take a picture and send to me but I asked him to just wait, knowing I’d be coming up for a visit this weekend. And y’all… Once again, I think God knew I would need it more yesterday. A sweet friend, one I’ve probably been missing the most, since leaving Senegal, had put this in the mail I assume before she left the States this summer going back. I may or may not have cried, reading the card and her note too. And I was so thankful that God saw my heart, and saw that I needed the friendship reminder because even though she’s currently a few thousand miles and an ocean away, she’s such an awesome friend and such a gift in my life!

FYI - I feel like I need to make a little disclaimer. I realize there was a lot of “down” or “negative” in this post. But I feel like we need to be real, you know…It’s okay to feel your feelings. It’s okay to be sad sometimes. Well meaning people are sometimes quick to comment a “don’t worry. You’ll be fine.” Or “don’t be sad. God will work it out.” Or “you’re a Christian. Stop feeling down about this.” We don’t always have to be happy and positive and sunshine and unicorns and rainbows. We’re human. We have feelings and emotions. We need to embrace them. It’s okay to let someone feel the way they feel… Because 9.99999 times out of 10, that person knows God will make a way and God will make things better, but in that moment, they just need to feel the way they feel. And yes, I’m “preaching” to myself here too. We need to do the best we can with what we’ve got and give it some time…

And that’s about it for me.

What about you?

What’s on your mind today?  

What’s Up August

       Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay and Sheaffer for August’s What's Up Wednesday link-up. 

Can you believe August is almost over? That means this year is half over at this point! Wow, time is flying! Isn’t it?!

Anywho, on with today’s post.

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 kept my meal prep for this week easy and went with what I’m dubbing as grown up lunchables. Super simple, super cheap, and super tasty :)

What am I reminiscing about?

This group… Many of them started college this week, which just boggles my mind. Some of them are starting jobs. They’re scattered all over the globe, in so many different countries, and to say I’m proud is an understatement. What a gift it was to work with them for so long, to see so many of them learn and grow over the years, and now to watch from afar as they enter this big ol’ world as high school grads. I’m so happy to be working with little guys again. But these “big kids” will always always have a piece of my heart!

What am I loving?

I got to see the last remnants of the sunrise yesterday morning as I left for work. While I do miss my less than 5 minute walk to work that I’ve had the last decade plus, I must admit, this view on my drive is pretty amazing. I love it!

What have I been up to?

Trying to find a place to live, long-term. A friend has been so incredibly generous in allowing me to stay with her until I found a place of my own. And the Lord knows I am so very grateful for that. But I’m also ready to have my own place, too. So I’ve been making lots of calls, driving by a few places, sending emails, searching online, and doing lots of praying. I’m super close to possibly having a place. I’m going to fill out the application today after work and then drop it off tomorrow. 

What am I dreading?

Nothing comes to mind.

What am I working on?

Lesson plans, fun educational activities, all sorts of life skills tasks, and more paperwork than you could imagine… Teaching this year is definitely far more difficult than I originally thought it’d be. But I’m enjoying it. And yes, as the picture shows, I’ll be teaching one friend to tie his shoes. We’re so close too! He’s almost got it. And this cute little felt shoe is helping so I’m glad I found it :)

 What am I excited about?

I get to see my Mama this weekend. Yay for living in America again where we get the day off for Labor Day!

What am I watching?

My students are obsessed with Pete the Cat so typically during lunch and snack (both of which we eat in the room), I typically turn on a YouTube read aloud of one or two of the Pete the Cat books. Y’all, they seriously love watching these! Anywho, I found this activity book at Walmart the other day, for super cheap, so I bought it, with the plan to make copies of various lessons and/or activities my crew could handle. So fun!

What am I reading?

I’ve been reading a lot in the book of Psalms. I’ve appreciated the reminders from long ago highlighted passages that God uses to teach me lessons sometimes…

What am I listening to?

All the Jack Hartmaan songs… If you’re not sure who he is, look him up. I typically have one of his songs stuck in my head the majority of the day. Good Morning Song, 12 months of the year, the Alphabet Dance, etc. Ha! 

What am I wearing?

I got these shoes last week. They’re super comfy and cute too. And they don’t hurt my feet, even after wearing them all day long, something I can’t say about most pairs of shoes. So I’m happy with them!

 What am I doing this weekend?

It’s a 3 day weekend, thanks to Labor Day being on Monday. So I’m going to my mom’s house after school on Friday. The rest of the weekend will be spent packing, spending time with family, eating some food I didn’t have to cook for a change, and hopefully relaxing a bit too. I’ll also more than likely need to do a little lesson planning or other teaching prep at some point. We’ll see how much I can get done after school each day the rest of this week, though. Maybe I won’t have too much left over…

What am I looking forward to next month?

Labor Day, of course :)

Favorite recent Amazon find?

Answer

What's new this month?

I haven’t ordered much. I’ve been trying not to spend much at all, to be honest. I haven’t had a paycheck since the beginning of June. Then I’ve had to save money for a car and a place to live as well, so spending has gone way way down, for sure!

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?