Lessons of the Week

I've learned a lot this week. So I thought I'd share some of these lessons I've learned...

1. Sometimes you have to just pick your battles. If a child wants to write with a marker instead of a pencil, just let him. He's doing the work he's supposed to so why does it matter what he writes with. Plus he is happy and not whining and complaining so it's a win-win.

2. If you get an ulcer on the back of your tongue you will hit it every single time you swallow. If food has even 1% of acid in it, it will find its way to that ulcer. FYI... This is extremely painful.

3. Some people make horrible liars. If you don't have something ready for me when I call, that's fine. Just don't lie to me. And if you're going to lie don't stutter and try to figure out what you're going to say as you say it. ...because it's clear that you're not telling the truth :)

4. If a child consistently acts up and gets in trouble then there may be something else wrong. Dig deeper. Don't just label him a bad child and give up on him. Find out the cause of his misbehavior. 

5. If you get to work at 6:30 and don't eat until 2:30, I can pretty much guarantee you're going to have a headache. Plan ahead and bring little snacks you can eat during break times. 

6. A Krispy Kreme doughnut can make almost anyone smile. ...especially that student who's been in a really bad mood all day :)

7. Renting a movie from Redbox is a great idea. Just don't forget to return it. 

8. The smell of bacon is heavenly. The smell of burnt bacon...not so much.

9. It's probably not the best idea to leave your cell phone in your pocket when you go to use the restroom. Phones really don't like going swimming. But drying it out in a bag of rice can sometimes fix the problem.

10. Watching a scary movie or TV show right before bed is not the best idea. ...especially if you're home alone and you're already a little scared at night time anyway.

11. Wearing cute little dressy flats is great. But when it's raining, those cute little flats become a sponge and your feet get soaked. Invest in a pair of rain boots. 

12. Driving in the rain is not very fun. ...especially when there are idiots on the road that seem to have no clue how to drive. 

13. Alabama shuts down at the mention of snow. Although I can't be too mad about this one since occasionally we get a day out of school as a result of this extreme fear of wintry weather :)

14. Don't plan for a snow day. If you do, then most likely you won't have one.

15. Even when you think you have nothing to say, a simple I love you and I'm praying for you can go a long way.

The 131st Dear _____ Post

Dear A Small Fortune, You're what I've spent on gas lately (and will continue to do) while my dad's been in the hospital. It's so worth it, though!

And speaking of that...

Dear Inspiration for a New Blog Post, You're what this picture I snapped last night gave me. 

 

Dear Color By Number, You're the "newest" weapon in my teaching math facts arsenal. Apparently when you combine math facts with coloring, you can learn ten times faster. Who knew? :)

Dear Snow, Here's the deal. It's cold as all get out. So where are you??? If I'm gonna have to continue dealing with these ridiculously cold temps, then you need to make an appearance.

Dear 21 Days, You're how long my dad has to stay in the long term rehab facility, working to build back up his strength and be able to walk again.

Dear Weird, You're how it feels to be home alone so much. The house is too quiet when it's just me and the dog :)

Dear Big Bang Theory, This week's episode was sad for sure. But what a nice tribute to a beloved character gone too soon. Any time an actor/actress dies while the filming of a tv show is still going on, it's interesting to see how the writers incorporate that into the show itself.

Dear 8:30 to 2:30, You're how long I will be gone on a field trip with a whole lot of extremely hyperactive, excited children yesterday. It was fun, but... Can you say exhausted? :)

And speaking of exhausted...

Dear Sleeping Late, You're what I plan to do tomorrow. 

Dear Mulan, I watched you last night. I think you're my most favorite Disney movie. 

Dear Reading the Bible, You're such a great way to spend my time. I find myself going into it sometimes, looking up a specific verse, and then realizing a long time has gone by already because I've been flipping back and forth all throughout just devouring God's Word. I love that!

Alphabetical Randomness

I...

...am apparently really afraid to stay by myself at night at home. I didn't realize just how much so until my mom has been gone this past week staying with my dad at the hospital. Yes I am 29. And yes I have lived by myself - in a foreign country no less. But for some reason, here is where I'm most afraid to stay by myself at night. It's weird. I know :)

...bought my ticket for my 2 week summer trip to Dakar. Only 98 more days 'til I leave :)

...am not a big chocolate eater, but occasionally I get the taste for some. I'm thankful for the big bag of Hershey's kisses I got for Christmas to help me with a tiny taste to kill that sweet tooth at times like that. 

...love the David Crowder Band song, O Praise  Him. It's my new favorite worship song. It's great!

...am eager to get the book in that I'll be using to teach Sunday School (starting next month). I really believe it'll be a great book to teach from and I pray it'll be a blessing to our class (and myself) to learn from. 

...am not a fan of the dark - especially at night when I'm home all alone. Just sayin' 

...had green grapes for breakfast this morning. Yum!

...haven't watched much tv these past few weeks. And I must admit that I've enjoyed it :)

...am intrigued when I notice patterns of misbehavior in students. It's not natural for a child to constantly get in trouble and do things wrong. I truly believe there is a reason a child acts that way. And if it's one of "my" kids, then I take on the role of investigator and find out what is going on.

...am glad my job is not one that requires me to be outside for extended lengths of time. It is so cold right now. I don't think I'd make it!

...think kindergarteners don't realize how lucky they are to have nap time every day. Oh what I'd give for that :)

...am looking forward to District Council in April. 100 years! Wow!

...will be teaching the math small groups for one of the Gen. Ed. classes I visit every day. It's both exciting and a little scary too. Have you seen 4th grade math these days? :)

...need a vacation. Or maybe I should say I want a vacation. Either way, it'd be great if it could happen soon :)

...often feel like I live at the gas station, since I'm there so much here lately. Between work, church, and visiting my dad in the hospital, as much as possible I'm using way more gasoline than normal. Here's hoping I don't go broke before payday at the end of the month. 

...printed a color by number sheet for one of my kids to help her practice her math facts and you would've thought I'd given her a million bucks :)

...question why some people in customer service positions have those jobs. If you are consistently rude and acts as if you hate your job, why be there? I don't get it.

...am so ready for Spring Break! I'm looking forward to a nice staycation where I'll hopefully be able to catch up on sleep before the last two months, which will be my busiest, try to kick my tail :)

...shared Krispy Kreme donuts with my kids today. Go me earning cool points :)

...am thankful for a Savior who listens to, and answers my prayers.  

...am using Imagine Dragon's song, On Top Of The World, as my alarm clock sound. Such a good song!

...value the advice of more experiences teachers. Why struggle and try to reinvent the wheel? Ask for help and ideas. It's just the smart thing to do.

...watched the 19 Kids and Counting season premiere last night. I so love this show!

And now I'm just being a little too lazy to think of something for X, Y, and Z :)

What I'm Loving

What am I loving lately...

Even though I'm sad my dad is back in the hospital, I'm loving that it's not a life or death matter for a change.

I'm loving reading my new book. It's a good one.

I'm loving the Glo Bible app on my phone. It's by far my most favorite Bible app I've tried.

I'm loving (well, make that I loved) the Chai Latte I got this morning. And the best part? It was half off so I could get a bigger size than I was planning on getting :)

Earlier this week, I bought my plane ticket for my 2 week summer trip to Senegal. I'm loving that there's only 102 days left 'til I leave :)

I'm loving teaching/learning about Black History Month. My kids are so excited each class day to learn a different influential person from history. They're connecting the stories of these men and women with their own lives and seeing how maybe one day they'll be able to do the same or even more. And any time I can get them happy about learning, I'm happy :)

I get to see my nieces once or twice a week now. I'm loving living in the same country and getting to see them so often! 

I'm loving the fact that is don't have to set my alarm Monday morning. Thank the Lord for President's Day!

I was asked this week to start teaching Sunday School. I'm loving that after 9 months of not being in ministry, starting in March, I'll be back in it. I'll be teaching Sunday School 3 out of 4 weekends a month. On the week I'm not teaching Sunday School, I'll be teaching Children's Church for BGMC Sunday. 

The 130th Dear ____ Post

Dear State Capitol, I got to visit you for the first time last week. What a fun, informative field trip! The kids all loved it. And the teachers did too!

Dear ALSOM (Berean), I completed one more class with you Saturday. Thanks for being available. Thanks for providing me the chance to hear a teacher teach the information in our text, and to hear the opinions, ideas, and interpretations of my peers. 

Dear Old Testament Survey, You're my next class. I'm looking forward to digging in to your textbook this week.

Dear An Hour, You're how long I spent on the phone Saturday with a friend I hadn't talked to in quite a while. I, the eternal loather of phone calls, loved it though! It was so nice to catch up!

Dear Senegal, You've been on my mind a lot lately. I'm praying for you.

Dear Children's Church, I got to visit you yesterday. And I'll be teaching you once a month (each BGMC Sunday) starting in March. I can't wait :)

Dear Love, I see the amount of you shared by my parents and it makes me smile. 

Dear Patience, You're a difficult lesson to learn/remember sometimes :)

Dear Wow, You're what I thought after hearing two teenagers share the Word of God last night in church. Thank you Jesus for kids who aren't afraid of sharing Your Word! I loved it!

Dear Sundays, You may be long, but I so love you!

Dear Joy Unspeakable by Todd Agnew, You're such a great song!

Smile :)

Yesterday my photo prompt was Makes Me Smile. So I thought I'd extend all the smiling into a blog post :)

Psalm 68:3 says,

Proverbs 15:13 says,

I'm glad God wants us to be full of joy, and happy. And you know... I believe God wants to see us smiling. 

Daily, He gives me reasons to smile. For example...

When I got home from work yesterday, seeing how excited both of my nieces were to see me made me smile. And the little one was all loving in my arms and then quickly fell asleep. And come on... How can you hold a beautiful sleeping baby and not smile?! :)

I had breakfast duty yesterday morning, so I had to monitor the cafeteria, clean up spills, help open milk cartons - the usual... And I noticed something while I was doing all of that. Every single child had a smile on his face. These kids were so incredibly happy about today's pancakes & syrup breakfast. It's the little things that mean the most sometimes :)

I love how God will send seemingly little things our way from time to time to let us know He cares for us and wants us to be happy. I love Cranberry Limeades from Sonic, and have sadly been deprived for quite a while since they were remodeling my local Sonic. So imagine my delight when I saw they'd reopened yesterday so I could treat myself as a reward for being good all week ;)

On our field trip to the capitol earlier this week, while I heard about the history of our state, I smiled thinking about how far Alabama has come since its beginning. We may still have a ways to go, but we're definitely not as bad as we once were!

I went to buy stamps yesterday and smiled thinking about the joy it brings me to send mail to someone. I love picking out a card, hand writing a note, and then sending it off. It makes me smile when God places someone on my mind, asking me to pray for them and then send them a card or a letter. 

Oh Common Core... You make me smile. You're actually not all evil, contrary to what many parents around the U.S. think. It makes me smile to listen to some of the silly reasons they give sometimes... 

Reading is something I love. It helps me learn. It helps me grow. And it helps me relax. And when I saw the quote below, I couldn't help but smile.

I love music. I have quite the eclectic mix of genres, artists, and songs all ready to be enjoyed. But when I got in the car to go to my Berean class this morning, I turned on my Christian only playlist. And when Chris Tomlin's, God of this City, came on, I immediately smiled. I'd used this song in my last video during itineration, so it always makes me think of Senegal. 

29 Lessons in 29 Years

Exactly 6 months from today I will turn 30 years old. Where did the time go? ...to learning the lessons below, I suppose :)

In honor of my soon-to-be exodus from my 29th year, I've compiled a list of 29 lessons I've learned these past 29 years. 

*I've also worked hard to see how many times I can use 29 in one sentence :)

And now on to the lessons (in no particular order)...

The Bible should be the most read book you own. It should be your instruction manual for life. Read it. Study it. Live it.

Cars include the cruise control for a reason. Use it.

Don't rush through life. Take time to enjoy it.

Take pictures. Keep a journal. Do something. One day your memory will begin to fade and you'll wish you had.

Be kind to old people. That'll be you one day.

No job is too beneath you.

Don't have too much pride to ask for help.

Seek the advice of those wiser than you.

Get out of your "bubble" from time to time. Travel. Explore. 

When traveling overseas, learn at least a few basic phrases. Saying hello or thank you in someone's native language (even if they know English) can go a long way.

Visit/call your parents and grandparents more. One day they'll be gone and you'll wish you still could.

A handwritten letter or card means a lot.

Quality time is often better received than quantity of time.

When visiting someone's home, at least try their food. Unless you have a medical reason to do so, it's rude to totally refuse everything they serve you.

Stand up for what is right in the eyes of God. Even when others around you don't, be strong.

Treat yourself from time to time. If you spend all your time and energy get focusing on others, your own self will suffer.

Want to hear an honest opinion? Ask a child.

Teachers are overworked and underpaid.

The word, "retarded," should be banned from the English language. 

Children with special needs CAN learn - just at a different pace from their peers.

You shouldn't judge all members of a group based on the bad actions of a few.

Work your butt off in high school. Grades DO matter. ...especially if you need scholarships for college.

Money earned is far more appreciated than money given.

Just because the answer was not yes, that doesn't mean God hasn't answered you yet. 

The word, friend, should not be taken lightly. Have a good friend? Cherish them. Value them.

Relax and let your hair down from time to time. 

You must give respect in order to receive it.

If someone you love is living in sin... Love the sinner but hate the sin.

Plans are great. But life rarely goes according to plans.

Seeing Beyond Pictures

I went with my school's 4th graders on a field trip to our state's capitol yesterday. We toured the Capitol building, the Alabama History & Archives Museum, and the Civil Rights Memorial Center. And then we got to go to the Montgomery Biscuits Stadium where they fed us lunch. All in all, it was a great day!

And you know... I took so many pictures while in Montgomery. But due to privacy laws and stuff like that, I can't show them to you...

But I can tell you some things I observed...

I can show you this picture...

What you can't see is this little guy's face lighting up seeing us pass so many trucks and trees and big buildings and other exciting things of the like. You see - This guy is almost completely non-verbal. He can say maybe only a handful of words. But oh my goodness... His facial expressions and exciting "oohs" at everything speak volumes!

Or how about this one?

What you can't hear in this picture is the excited squeals from some of our kids over riding an escalator for the very first time.

Then there's about this one...

What you can't see in this picture is a sweet boy helping his classmate up after he tripped at the bottom of the stairs. Or how about the way that my student was pulled in by his peers who said, "Ms. Nichols, we want ___ to be included. Don't worry. I'll explain it again if he gets confused when the your lady's talking."

Next up is this one...

What you can't see/hear in this picture is the one kid who says he wants to pray for peace in Alabama and for Blacks and Whites to get along just like MLK said in his famous speech which he delivered on these same steps.

Or how about this one...

What you can't see/hear in this picture is the silence that came upon the room upon seeing this wall. These kids know the stories of the marches in Selma. They live in Selma. They go to school in Selma. It hit close to home.

Then there's about this one, which I almost didn't show...

What you can't hear in this picture  is the sweet little voice of a 4th grade African American girl asking me, "Ms. Nichols, do you think God will really forgive anybody?" When I asked what she thought, she sweetly said, "Ms. Nichols, I think He does. That's why I don't hate them. I just pray that God forgave those bad KKK men for what they did to black people," and then walked off. 

Then there's this one of the mayor of Selma.

What you can't see in this picture are all of our 4th graders crowded around him trying to squeeze into the photo, acting as if he's a celebrity. You can't see the mayor shaking the kids' hands and giving them all high fives and hugs. You can't see him patiently answering all of their silly questions with a smile on his face the whole time.

Oh Alabama

Oh Alabama... I used to say that since you're in the Bible Belt, there's no way you'd allow gay marriage. But unfortunately, as we've seen this week, that's no longer true.

As a Christian it makes me sad. I don't understand how a nation whose foundation was built on the Bible can just utterly disregard it. Obviously this isn't the first time our state leaders have done so. And unfortunately I am sure it will not be the last time either.

The Word of God clearly defines homosexuality as a sin. From the beginning of time, marriage was intended to be between a man and a woman. 

God's Word is clear in its description of homosexuality, by saying it is...

...abominable.

...detestable.

And now...

Now my home state has joined many other states in throwing out that part of the Bible. 

Oh Alabama... I had high hopes that you'd stand firm in your stance against this act passing.

You didn't.

You caved. You gave into peer pressure of the political nature. 

It makes me sad.

It makes me so sad.

And it makes me afraid. 

I fear for what God will do to this state I love so much.

When we disregard the Holy Word of God and allow sin to roam free, without repercussions, we must be ready to accept the consequences.

Oh God...

God, please come soon.

*References...

1) Leviticus 18:22

2) Leviticus 20:13

And for those who feel that since those verses are in the Old Testament and no longer apply to people today...

3) 1 Timothy 1:8-11

4) 1 Corinthians 6:9, 18-20

I end with this. It was written by a friend on Facebook yesterday...

P.S. FYI to anyone who reads this and wants to write something ugly/hurtful/hateful/deragatory on this post, or begin a debate, I am happy to discuss it with you through email. I will not let you write such notes on my personal blog. Thank you.

Zizzie

This little lady is the one who first made me an aunt. 

I remember Christmas vacation in 2011. It was on that trip back to the States that we got the news that my sister-in-law was pregnant. 

Then I found out she was going to be a girl. I had dreams of buying pink clothes and hair bows and all sorts if frilly cuteness :)

And then on August 8, 2012, I got the text saying, "She's here!!!!!! I'm a daddy!!!!!" I became an aunt. It was so hard going those first 4 months without seeing her. But oh man... Meeting her that December morning was definitely one of the best days of my life.

The love I have for this little girl is unexplainable. She definitely has stolen my heart over the past 2 1/2 years. And now that she can call my name, it makes things all the sweeter :)

The love I have for the one that made me Zizzie began to be multiplied this past May, when her little sister was born.

I remember that day as clearly as if it were yesterday. I was in this middle of a job interview on Skype and I got a text from my brother saying, "Guess what! Vickie's in labor. I'll be a daddy of two girls soon!" Then, right when my interview ended, as things go in West Africa, the power went off. ...and cell service went down. And I had to wait 3 "agonizing" hours before it all came back on so I could hear the news and see the pictures of Niece 2's arrival.

And instantly my heart felt if it were overflowing. I couldn't wait to meet this little beauty, and I was glad that I only had to wait a little less 4 weeks this time and not the 4 months I waited for her sister.

This little girl is just as beautiful as her big sister. She has these big eyes and cute chubby dimpled cheeks that draw you in. And just as before meeting her ranked as one of the best days of my life.

One huge perk to living in the States now is that I've got to spend so much time with my nieces. What a blessing that's been!

I love being Zizzie. It is one of the most wonderfully and joyously awesome things in my life. 

And now, just because I think they're so cute, here are a few more pictures of my two favorite girls...