What’s Up July

   Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Just kidding…

You see, I had big plans to post this on Wednesday. However, I was in the middle of my 63.5 hour trip back to Senegal, all thanks to flight delays, cancellations, rerouting, etc. It was crazy! Therefore, uploading this post definitely didn’t happen on the day I'd originally planned. And then I've been in a mixture of a brain fog and stress induced computer work finishing ever since I arrived. So today's the first day I've had to work on it. So let’s try it again...

Happy Monday, 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.

So let's get started...

What am I eating?

I'm back in Senegal and missing Chick-fil-A and my mom's home cooking. But since school starts back this week for teachers, I’m back in Weekend Meal Prep Mode. So yesterday, I whipped up a big batch of Broccoli Chicken Alfredo to have this week.

What am I reminiscing about?

My time in Alabama with my family. Over the years, people have occasionally questioned why I have gone back to the US each summer.  Multiple reasons… 1) Support Raising 2) My primary ministry - what I was hired by AGWM to do - is to teach at my school and in the summers, that ministry is not happening. 3) Even if I’m support raising, it’s still a personal expense so it’d be like anyone else saving for an annual summer vacation. So I’m not using mission funds to pay for it. Anywho, I digressed a bit there… Back to the reminiscing ;)

 What am I loving?

I'm loving having a slow start to the school year. We have a super long time of Professional Development at the beginning of each school year (which starts tomorrow). ...longer than most schools I know of. But it's not all bad. We’re learning good stuff. Plus, as a result of this time, I can put in a little bit of classroom work time each day either before or after PD sessions, and not have too much to do all at once, or to be scrambling in the last day or so before students return. So that's nice. And let's face it... I love working on lesson plans and preparations for a new school year. I really really do. And as a teacher who does not have a planning/prep period like others do, having this extra time before school begins is something I love too.

What have I been up to?

Saturday was the 13th anniversary of the day I first arrived in Senegal. It's hard to believe it's been that long. I'm so grateful for this work God's called me to do. I love teaching. I always have. And I've loved getting to work with such incredible students at Dakar Academy over the past 13 years.  Being able to have teaching be my primary ministry (missions) assignment has been such a gift! 

What am I dreading? 

It’s Rainy Season in Dakar. And while it does cool things off, my “old lady ankles” do not like the pain brought on by the rain. We haven't had any rain since I got back. But I know it's coming. So yeah… I'm kind of dreading that.

What am I working on?

Getting my lost/missing suitcase found, which is proving to be quite challenging :(

 What am I excited about?

My birthday is on Saturday. So there’s that :)

What am I watching?

Nothing... I really do think I could live my life without TV.

What am I reading?

I’m rereading Emotionally Healthy Spirituality with my school co-workers for our required summer PD reading. This makes the 2nd time we’ve read it together, and my 3rd time reading it. I purposefully saved it til the end of my time in the US, knowing I wanted it to be fresh on my mind. It’s a good book. I feel like I learn so much each time I read it. So anywho, I started it during my ridiculously long travel time this past week and I’m almost finished with it. My plan is to finish tonight.

What am I listening to?

Nothing new - Anyone have a recommendation for me? 

What am I wearing?

I’ve been “reunited” with my denim jacket and I’m happy. I had left it at my mom’s house a couple years ago. But I was happy to be able to bring it back with me this time. It’s surprisingly lightweight so I won’t have a heatstroke wearing it in Dakar. …which is good since it’s, seriously, one of my most favorite pieces of clothing :)

However, when I wrote this post in draft mode, I fully expected to say the above. But alas, my denim jacket is in my missing suitcase. So, I’m not actually wearing it just yet… 

 What was I doing this past weekend?

I worked in my classroom a bit and then went out for dinner with some friends on Saturday. Then last night, we had a mini staff get-together. And while I'd planned on working in my room yesterday, I, instead, decided to take the day off and slept almost all day. Y’all, I was exhausted. I’m telling you… Traveling, in itself, can be tiring. But the flight back to Senegal about did me in.

What am I looking forward to next month?

My birthday, of course :)

Past that, I'm looking forward to seeing my returning students again, and getting to know my new students. I’m also looking forward to finally having another Special Ed Teacher at my campus, to share the load. And even though I won’t actually have any less students this year, since we had so many new kids apply, at least I know it’s not still me doing it all by myself. And I’m happy about that :)

Favorite Recent Amazon Find?

I ordered all sorts of fun things off of Amazon and brought them back to Senegal with me for my classroom and my apartment. And if my missing suitcase ever shows up, I’ll probably show off a few fun things then :)

What else is new?

A friend graciously gave me her treadmill when she left at the end of this past school year. I’m looking forward to using it this year. 

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?