3 Way Tie

I'm sure you're asking yourself...What's a 3-way tie? Let me tell ya...

It's a 3-way tie as to which areas of my life need to be changed. So, I'm starting tomorrow with...

1. Physical Change - Of course I want to lose weight/inches, but past that...I want to get in shape. I want to feel better about myself and just plain, feel better. 

2. Spiritual Change - I read my Bible, pray, and do my devotions every day. I talk to God. I praise Him. BUT I don't do enough. After all, He's my SAVIOR. He died on the cross for me, for pete's sake. Would it kill me to give Him more than just the "typical" amount of time spent on each. 

3. Emotional Change - This has been a hard year. I've had a lot of (major) stuff happening with my family back in the States. I've taken a super full load of grad school and A/G licensing classes. We've had the most ridiculous amount of power cuts! Seriously...like this week we've had 1 full week of power. I really don't think that's happened since I got back in August. And I'm teaching a new grade this year with a (loving, amazing, but...) challenging class with such an incredibly wide-range of ability levels and needs. Needless to say, I've been super worried or stressed a lot!

So... Here's what I'm going to do. ...and for all of you out there in blogger land wondering why I'm posting this... It's because I need to hold myself accountable. If I post it for the world to see (and by world, I mean the 3 or 4 people that actually read this...), I'll be more likely to stick with it.

1. Physical Change -- I'm going to start exercising more. I'm going to walk 30-45 minutes around the track at school AT LEAST 5 days a week. I'm going to eat better and do better with portion control. I'm not going to totally deny myself of all things sweet and salty :)...I'm just going to do so in moderation. I'm going to only allow myself to have coke 1 day a week (...this is my biggie). I'm going to have one "splurge" day, but still within moderation. I'm going to eat breakfast (...which I HATE) and try to eat 3 small snacks a day. I'm going to plan my meals on the weekend, so when I go to the store on Mondays I'll not buy JUNK. I've asked my roommate and another friend to help me. We're going to all 3 work together and keep each other accountable to all this stuff. 

2. Spiritual Change -- I'm going to (gasp!) wake up an hour earlier in the morning. I'm going to get up, get my shower, fix my breakfast, and do more than just read my Bible and quickly read my devotion and pray. I'm going to spend time studying the Word more deeply. I'm going to read books that have a Biblical application to my life. I'm going to tackle this like I do a class. I'm going to become a better student of Jesus.

3. Emotional Change -- I'm a big worrier. I stress a lot too. ...which I know is wrong. God should be in control of my life (and my emotions). ...not me! So, I'm going to change my outlook on life. I'm going to try and look for the good in all situations, even when it's hard. I'm going to purposely look for "God things" throughout my day...you know, the little things that just remind you that God's right there with you. :) I'm going to journal my feelings more instead of keeping them all bottled up inside. And here's the biggie...I'm going to try my absolute hardest to stop comparing myself to others...to the missionaries that do more work with the nationals. ...to my friends that are skinnier than me. ...to teachers that are better than me. ...to Christians that know the Word better than me. I'm going to worry about numero uno... after God, of course. :)

It all starts tomorrow. I'm setting little goals for myself. 

1. June 4th, 2011 - ...my cousin's wedding. I want to have lost enough weight to wow my family. ...P.S. I am not planning to steal her thunder AT ALL though. Please don't think that.

2. August 3, 2011 - ...the day I land back in Dakar. I want to have lost enough weight/inches that I can buy some cute, smaller (inexpensive of course since I totally don't make the big bucks) clothes to come back to Dakar with :)

3. September, 2011 - ...our Staff Retreat and the dreaded time to be in a swimsuit in front of almost all of my co-workers...eek!

4. March 27, 2012 - ...one year from tomorrow ... I want to have gotten down to my goal size.

So in all seriousness, pray for me. Pray that I kick my butt in gear. Pray that I stick to my plan. And pray that I see results! :)

Confessions

I confess... that I've gone through a wide range of emotions/feelings today. ... sad, excited, lonely, homesick (yes, that counts), fear, nervousness, boredom, hopeful, and happy.


I confess... I miss going to work. I miss (gasp!) waking up at 5:30 every morning, getting ready, working on plans, and then being at work by 7(ish). And most of all, I miss those 10 hyperactive kiddos that make my life so incredibly fun!


I confess... I HATE sitting at home all day. It was nice for the first 2 days of Spring Break and then boredom crept in. I want to get out. I want to go do the things that I can't normally do because I work during the week.


I confess... I don't like going places by myself. To be such an independent person, I really do like people around me. (shocking, I know) ...which is why the confession above is hard for me. I don't really want to do those things I want to do because I'd be by myself. (I'm weird. I know.)


I confess... I love wearing pajamas. I come home from work and put on pj pants. If I go to town, the minute I get home, I change into pj pants. Seriously...I'm most comfy in comfy pj pants. (...because who would be comfy in "non-comfy" pants. ...good one, I know.) 


I confess... I am a big procrastinator. I will wait 'til the last minute to get things done. ...not always a good thing. BUT I totally kicked procrastination in the rear this week and worked ahead on a lot of my grad school and A/G licensing classes. (Take that procrastination!!)


I confess... I'm out of shape and want/need to lose weight. And I'm starting on a new "change of life plan" Monday. (There. I said it in a public forum...which means I'll hopefully stick to it. I'm giving myself 6 months to kick my rear in shape.) ..........P.S. Notice I didn't use the word "diet." If I use the "d" word, I'll totally not do it.


I confess... I could totally use French more often than I do. But if someone's with me that can speak French better then me, I totally let them handle it. It's like my crutch.


I confess... I miss drive-thru restaurants. Seriously, people ask me what food I miss the most. It's not a food. It's the drive-thrus. Why? ...convenience, super-quickness (like that word?), and nice tall styrofoam cups filled with ice I can actually eat! 

I've become one of THOSE...

Yep, it's true...

I've become one of THOSE... You know, one of those people that follow EVERYONE's blogs. Yep, that's me. :)

Ok, so maybe I've exaggerated a little, but still...I just realized that I follow a lot of people's blogs. Most of them are people I know, but some aren't like...

The Journey
The Nie Nie Dialogues
Miracle Mason
I am your Pancreas - (This blogger is a mom of a child with Type 1 Diabetes, hence the title.)
Pink Moss
The Larson Lingo

...just to name a few.

...and these don't even count the blogs of people I do know.

Randomness

My mind is a great big bowl of randomness right now. How's that for a description? :) Anyways...instead of this being a one-thought post, I thought I'd list out the random thoughts I'm having right now. So without further ado, here is your portion of my randomness...

1. I am so very happy that I FINALLY caught up on my grad school work. I've been a little behind for the past month or so ever since some stuff happened with my family and it's just been building and building slowly by slowly. But tonight I finally caught up! YAY! :) And not only did I get caught up on my overdue tasks, I also worked ahead some and finished things due for the next 2 weeks! So double YAY! :)

2. I went walking around the field at school tonight with my roomie. Can I just say... I absolutely positively HATE going. I dread it. I grumble and complain to myself. But then it's like magic...I start walking and begin feeling GREAT! Then when I'm finished I feel totally AWESOME! I love it! Is that weird? Am I the only person like that...who absolutely dreads the thought of working out but absolutely loves the feeling afterwards?

3. I went to the fabric market with some friends today and found 4 (yes, 4!) different styles of fabric I like...for AWESOME prices, I might add! :) That never happens, so YAY! :) And I already have a dress style in mind I want 3 of them made into and I'm going to venture out of my normal outfit making realm and get (wait for it...) pants! (big gasp!) I know...I said I wouldn't ever do that out of African fabric, but you know...I'm really liking the long shirt/tunic look, so I think I'm going to do it. :)

4. I bought a pair of Chanel sunglasses today...and only paid about $3 for them! :) ...P.S. They were total knock-offs, but hey, who cares? :)

5. I just got an email from someone that hurt my feelings. I really want to call my mom and cry "on her shoulder," but I'm trying to be a big girl about it. :(

6. I miss having a balcony. Honestly, that's the only thing I miss about living on the third floor of my building. I wish I could just sit outside, read a book, feel the wind blowing, and just enjoy relaxing outside. But alas, our one outside place is a small courtyard with really high walls and above the walls are other people's apartments and clotheslines, so it's totally not fun to sit out there... Maybe I'll go up to the roof and sit up there... I don't know though. Is it really worth it to go up those 4 flights of stairs? :)

7. I've been making a list of things to do in my classroom next week. I'm so excited to rearrange my room and get lots of new fun activities set up! I think my kids are going to LOVE it! :)

8. I'm worried about my dad. I know he says he's doing ok, but I'm worried. And before anyone preaches to me, I KNOW! I know I shouldn't worry. I know I should give it all to God. I know that. Trust me. ...but you know, that's easier said than done sometimes...

9. It's 12:05 a.m. here right now. That means it's WAY WAY WAY past my bedtime. Therefore, Elisabeth is now signing off. Goodnight Blog World. :)

Spring Break Reading

Spring Break Reading…

I’ve always loved to read. I still do. I just don’t have time for it much anymore, other than the required readings for grad school, A/G licensing classes, and teaching. So I made plans to do a lot of FUN reading over Spring Break. Here’s my list…

1.     Little Women

2.     Little Men

3.     Crimson Tide

4.     Life of Pi

5.     Three Cups of Tea

6.     Daughters of Islam

7.     Mere Christianity

8.     The Foolishness of God: A Linguist Looks at the Mystery of Tongues

9.     Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire

10. Teaching Students with ADHD (…and yes, this is fun for me)

What are you reading?

“Everyone eats and drinks, but few appreciate taste.” Confucius (551-479 BC)

Post 1 of my 5 Senses Posts...Sense of Taste

“Everyone eats and drinks, but few appreciate taste.” Confucius (551-479 BC)

I absolutely LOVE this drink...caffeine free diet mountain dew ... liquid gold, I tell you, liquid gold! :)

...my favorite holiday treat - candy canes 

Almonds

Salads = Yum! I could eat salad 3 times a day and not get tired of it! :)

French Fries are definitely my biggest comfort food item. I love them! ...I guess it's a good thing I don't live in the US then, since I'd totally be at the drive thru getting these way too much if I was! :)

Grilled Hamburger...my absolute most favorite food!

Key Lime Pie...my favorite dessert!

Peanut Butter M&M's...my favorite candy!

Pecan Pie...how can you be from the south and NOT like this yummy goodness? :)

...my favorite restaurant...I like pretty much everything from Taco Bell! ...which presents yet another reason why it's probably good that I don't live in the US. :)

Today I am...

Outside my window... There are kids playing. One's African. One's Middle Eastern. They are giggling and talking and having what looks like a really fun time.

I am thinking... about how I really should be studying, but am not since my brain really needs a break.

I am thankful for... electricity. I will never again take electricity for granted.

I am eating... nothing. I'm full from the salad bar, corn dog, and peanut butter m&m's from Junior Carnival tonight :)

I am wearing... jeans. PTL for Jeans Friday! :)

I am wishing... that the electricity situation in Dakar would get better, but it doesn't seem likely.

Tomorrow I am... going to be studying ALL day for my midterm, barring a short break somewhere in there for sanity's sake. :)

I am reading... all about the fun-filled world of Multicultural Education. Seriously, this exam is consuming my every free moment (outside of teaching and lesson planning of course).

I am hoping... that I can get a good night's sleep tonight. I've forgotten what that's like.

I am hearing... nothing at the moment. It's almost "too" quiet...

I am looking forward to... being done with my midterm this weekend.

I am dreaming of... the future.

I am not liking... the incredibly AWFUL power cuts we've been having. Having an average of 4 to 6 hours of electricity a day is a big huge PAIN, just so you know...

A few plans for the week ahead... midterm, 4 page paper, grading, report cards, parent-teacher conferences, spring break...and hopefully some sleep somewhere in there