What’s Up October

Happy Thursday Y'all!

Today, I'm joining Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up. Except yesterday was a long one and I didn’t get around to posting... So I’m a day late.

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?

I made a pot of chicken spaghetti the other day. And since I didn't adjust the size of the recipe, I ended up with a big batch of leftovers. And if that means I don't have to cook lunches/dinners for most of the week, then that's definitely okay in my book. It's too hot to cook all the time anyway :)

What am I reminiscing about?

This collage popped up in my Facebook memory feed the other day. It was my first class at DA. They were such a great bunch of kids. And it's hard to believe that they're out of high school and are now "grown-ups." My brain still pictures them as the sweet little third graders that I came to Senegal for.

 What am I loving?

I'm loving the fun parts of being a teacher. I'm loving helping students reach those "lightbulb" moments. I'm loving helping students see their self-confidence soar. I'm loving researching new and exciting activities to solidify the various concepts and skills I'm trying to teach. I'm loving getting to know my people, hearing their goals and interests and developing a rapport with them as we work to best serve their needs. I'm even loving all the lesson planning and grading because it's showing me where my students are and where they need to be. I'm also loving the knowledge that one of my activities today will involve baking this fun cake mix. After all, what better way to highlight physical vs chemical changes? Right? ;)

What have I been up to?

Physical Therapy - Yesterday, I had my 4th session of Physical Therapy. At the moment, I am doing it twice a week. I can't say it's my most favorite times of the week. Because... ouch! Plus, I'm having to pay out of pocket until my insurance finally reimburses me. But I'm doing whatever I can at this point to try and get rid of this pain. It boggles my mind that it's been 4 1/2 months since I fell and hurt my ankle. And to be honest, the constant pain is taking its toll on me - physically, mentally, emotionally...

What am I dreading? 

The fear of the unknown is a little scary and dread-worthy. I wish I knew if I was going to have to have surgery. And if that’s definitely going to happen, I wish I could already know the time frame for that and how that would affect my work (my ministry). I wish I knew all the things right now. But as we all know, God doesn't always fill us in on every little detail right when we want Him to. Right? So I'll continue to wait and try harder to trust even in the midst of the potentially difficult and scary unknowns.

What am I working on?

My latest grad school class just started. It's on Inclusion for Students with Moderate and Severe Intellectual Disabilities. It's starting off well. I'm enjoying the reading (and learning). Here's hoping that enjoyment continues ;)

 What am I excited about?

I got a card from my aunt in the mail yesterday. That was pretty exciting! I love getting mail, especially if it includes a handwritten note :)

What am I watching?

I’m watching the temperature and humidity rise more and more every day. Hot Season in Senegal is no joke, y’all. 



What am I reading?

I haven't been reading a lot "for fun" in the past week or so because I've needed to spend that time reading/studying for the class I'm taking. But I hope to be back on the "for fun" reading train by the weekend.

What am I listening to?

A few weeks ago, the Worship Team at church sang the song, “Goodness of God.” And I’ve found myself humming it in my head ever since. I just love the lyrics to this song. 

What am I wearing?

Not orange... I can tell you that. Some co-workers and I were discussing the Blindside quote shown below. And I realized I do not own a single piece of orange clothing. Growing up surrounded by BAMA fans will do that to you, I suppose ;)

 What am I doing this weekend?

Friday is a half day of teaching followed by Parent Teacher Conferences followed by our school's Harvest Fest, where I'll be helping one of my students run a game booth. So I'm pretty sure I'll be ready to crash by the time I get home Friday night. Then on Saturday, I have a Zoom call with some of my fellow AG people. And other than church, completing this week's grad school assignments, and doing a bit of lesson planning, I haven't really got anything planned. So we'll see what I end up getting into :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

* Fun lessons/activities in the classroom

* A weekend getaway with my fellow AG ladies

* Thanksgiving

* Thanksgiving Break

What else is new?

I'll see my doctor again on this evening.

Oh, and in other news... I bought my plane tickets yesterday. So I now have a new countdown. Only 51 days (from today) ‘til I see my family again. I’m so excited!!

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...

  * admiring *  going * making * scheduling * wishing*

I'm currently admiring the handiwork of some of our elementary students. I love seeing their creative minds, thinking up these elaborate structures. I love hearing their conversations with one another, making plans for what steps they’ll need to take. And most of all, I love seeing them work together, encouraging one another, whether it be while studying spelling words, reading aloud, writing a story, practicing multiplication facts, or being creative and building something like the bus pictured below.

I'm currently going to be sending a fun envelope to my nieces, thanks to a co-worker making a trip back to the States. Yay for the chance to send fun mail. I also may or may not have found some inexpensive holiday book options on Amazon to send them as well. My aunt heart is super happy when I can spoil my nieces just a little :)

I'm currently making very little food. I'm trying to eat up what I have in my apartment. Even if that means means taking a sandwich and some chips for lunch, instead of a normal “hot lunch” like what I’m used to. 

I'm currently scheduling Physical Therapy appointments for my ankle. Or at least someone is helping me to do so, since my French is not the best when needing to know medical terminology... Also, we’re finding it to be somewhat difficult to find a PT with teacher friendly hours. Fun times, y’all. 

I'm currently wishing the news I’d gotten on my ankle would’ve been better. It turns out that not only has my fracture not fully healed, but I also have a torn ligament. So it totally makes sense that I’ve literally been in pain while walking, every single day for the past 4 months. Help me pray that PT helps and I don’t have to end up needing surgery...

 And since it's my blog and I can, I thought I'd share a couple more :)

I'm currently attending our Professional Development sessions today and tomorrow. I'm a weird one. The learner in me is stoked when we have workshops and training days and stuff like this. I love it!

I'm currently reading my 32nd book of the year. And now I'm starting to wonder how many I will have read by the end of the year. Knowing that I have a long weekend this weekend, combined with both Thanksgiving Break and Christmas Break happening before the last day of 2020 helps. I can read all sorts of books during those times when I'm off from work. So who knows what my 2020 Book Total will be :)

I'm currently missing my family. Ironically, the COVID situation in Senegal seems to be under control. Go Senegal! But it's still pretty rough in the US. So I just don’t know... Do I go at Christmas? Do I wait 'til summer? Decisions, decisions...

I'm currently looking forward to this upcoming weekend. We don't have school on Friday and I'm planning to take full advantage of the extra time off from work by embracing the art of "self-care." I'm planning to rest/relax and also (and more importantly), spend some time in prayer and study of His Word. There's been so much going on lately that my brain feels like it's swimming. So I think having a little time "away" and "unplugged" will be good for my brain/heart.

I’m currently prepping to teach yet another lesson each day, of a class which I’ve never taught before. So it looks like I’ve got a bit of studying to do this weekend ;)

  So what about you?

What are you currently up to?

What's Up September

Happy Wednesday Thursday Y'all!

Today, I'm joining Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up. Only yesterday was a long, full day with work followed by an MRI appointment that took a few hours, followed by dinner with a friend, and then sitting in traffic for a while before finally making it home :)

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?

I’ve gotten back into the habit of meal prepping on the weekend. I make enough food to last me for lunches and dinners during the week. Because let’s face it... 9 times out of 10, I have zero desire to cook by the time I get home from work. Plus I’m saving money by not ordering lunch every day. So it’s a win win.

   

What am I reminiscing about?

All sorts of fun memories in our classroom over the years... I love that our kids know that while they're definitely going to be learning in our room, they're also going to be able to be silly and laugh. I love that we have fun in here. I love that we encourage our people to be themselves and to make school a fun place.

 What am I loving?

I'm loving that, even in the midst of the seemingly never-ending COVID pandemic, we are able to have in-person learning happening at our school. I'm loving that I'm not having to teach virtually. I'm loving that I'm not having to deal with Zoom calls and a zillion Google Hangouts video chats every day. I'm loving that I'm not having to video myself teaching my lessons. I'm loving that I'm not having to print ridiculously lengthy take-home packets for my students. I'm loving that, even though it might happen one day (although, let's all hope/pray it doesn't)... I'm loving that for the time being, we are 100% in-person at school. And that is a wonderful feeling!

What have I been up to?

I've been spending more time in the evenings, reading "for fun." It's a great way to relax my brain. My goal has been to ignore screens/internet as much as possible in the evenings (other than required for grad school work, of course. And while I am reading off of my iPad, it doesn't feel like it... It's nice to just unwind a bit while relaxing on the couch. 

What am I dreading? 

The knowledge that we have now entered the hottest and most humid time of the year in Senegal. So while all of you in the US are enjoying the coolness of Fall, I'll be over here sweating and trying not to die from a heat stroke. Ha! ;)

What am I working on?

Grad school is kicking my tail... This class is no joke. I'm spending most evenings working on it a bit. That way I don't fall behind. I love what I'm learning from the class. It's all definitely beneficial (and interesting too). But, the assignments are hard. So very hard!

 What am I excited about?

I'm planning a little "staycation" for myself during a long weekend from school that's coming up. I'm looking forward to "unplugging," and spending my weekend catching up on sleep and reading "for fun." I'm also planning to take that time to spend a little extra time in prayer and studying God's Word. It'll be like my own little personal "retreat" of sorts. So, yes, I'm definitely excited about it :)

What am I watching?

I haven't watched anything new lately. I'll play random TV shows, just for background noise, while I'm cooking or washing dishes or something. But that's about it. Is there anything new out that I should check out? Give me some ideas...

What am I reading?

Yesterday, I started my 32nd book of the year. I'm also reading through the book of Isaiah during my personal devotions/Bible Studying time. 

What am I listening to?

I've been on an instrumental hymns kick lately. I've started playing them for background noise, so to speak, while doing lesson planning/prep after school and on the weekends. And I've also started playing them when I'm doing my own personal devotions too. 

What am I wearing?

I wore my Montevallo cap one day this past weekend, when I came over to do some lesson planning. Then I noticed on my Facebook memory feed, that it was around this time 15 years ago, while a student at Montevallo, that I decided to change my major so I could also be certified to teach Special Education. It was interesting, to me, how those memories flooded my mind/heart. I remember knowing it was something I've always wanted to do anyway... I love that God called me to do something that was already something I was so passionate about. And when I wear my Montevallo hat, I can't help but smile and be thankful for my time there, knowing what a huge impact it has had on my life as a teacher.

 What am I doing this weekend?

Nothing terribly exciting... I had an MRI done on my ankle yesterday. And I’ll be able to pick up the results from that on Friday. Then if the doctor is available, maybe I’ll see him this weekend. Otherwise, I have nothing planned. So we’ll see what fun I get into :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

We have a day off school at the end of next week, which is in October. And I must say, my tired brain is pretty stoked about that. Past that, I'm looking forward to some fun lessons and activities I have planned with my various classes. And I'm looking forward to us finally having a normal week (the week after next). Between multiple students arriving late, multiple changes in schedules, various events at school, testing, IEP meetings, and all sorts of other randomness, we haven't had a truly "normal" 5-day week. So I really am most looking forward to that. :)

What else is new?

I'm still loving my shorter hair. It's so much lighter and cooler, which has been absolutely wonderful in the ridiculously hot/humid Hot Season we're in the midst of here in Senegal. 

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?