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...

6 Days - That's how long it is, from today, until I leave Senegal...

Ignore the fact this says 10 days. I posted it to Facebook at that point. 
The sentiment is still the same...

Empty - That's how my classroom feels. Oh my heart, did it hurt to pack everything away in bins/cabinets and shut that door yesterday. I'll still be in my classroom today, tomorrow, and a 1/2 day Wednesday, giving exams for all of my people and also being the room for seniors to pick up their caps & gowns tomorrow. But still... Packing it all away made it final. Last week, a friend said it's like the end of an era. And it kind of feels that way. It's definitely time to go. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't call my mom in pretty intense tears yesterday because of how much it hurt my heart to have it all packed up.

The cart is my teacher supply cart. I'll wrap it up for the next teacher.
The red bag is a surprise gift in the works.
The water is left out because it's Senegal and a bazillion degrees outside :)

Packing - I finally packed up my classroom this weekend and tonight, I will finish packing up at home (minus the clothes I'll be wearing this week). I'm pretty sure this is the earliest I have ever (will have ever?) been packed. But I know this week is going to be super busy full of exams for my students, all sorts of graduation/senior related events each day, all the normal end of a school year checklists, and last bits of time spent with friends. So I wanted to be able to be fully present and not stressed about packing. And while it is sad to see the empty walls, shelves, etc., I know I will be so glad it's done.

One Last Senegal AGWM Dinner - We had that the other day. It was nice to have the time to get together, eat good food, and reminisce about life and ministry in Senegal. 

Saying Goodbye to My Students - I did that with my middle schoolers this past Friday. Then, after exams this upcoming week with my 9th-11th graders... And then at graduation on Thursday with my seniors. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate goodbyes? Boo.

Senior Reception and Senior Worship Service - This was yesterday. I may have teared up at multiple points during each of these events. But it was definitely happy/proud tears. Y'all, this class has held a special place in my heart for so many years. And I will always be so grateful that I was able to stay and finish out my time at DA with this crew.

Embracing All the Emotions/Feelings - That's my current thing. I'm recognizing that it's okay to be both sad and also ready about leaving. And you know... It really is okay to be both nervous and excited about what's coming next. It's okay to feel happy and proud of the incredible students I've worked with - whether that's been just year or for many years. It's okay to be happy and sad and scared and excited all at the same time. Humans are not meant to be emotionless robots. Ok, off my soapbox now ;)

Looking Ahead - A week from today, I'll land in Mobile, AL where I'll spend a few days getting all the necessary background checks/screenings, etc. done, get paperwork signed, hopefully meeting with my principal and seeing my classroom too, and visiting with a few people too. Then, once all that's done, I'll drive up to be with my family, ready to spend the summer with them before heading back down to Mobile at the end of the summer, ready to start my new job. I can't lie. I'll probably still shed a few tears when the time comes to leave this place. But y'all, I'm ready. Let's do this!

What's on your mind today? 

What's Up April

     Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay and Sheaffer for April's 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 made a big pot of pasta the other day and am eating that each day for lunch. I used bow tie noodles, some boursin garlic & herbs cheese, spinach, chicken, and some random spices/seasonings. It's super tasty and filling!

What am I reminiscing about?

The 9th anniversary of my dad's death was last week. So that's definitely been on my mind. I've been thinking a lot about him. He was always so incredibly supportive of me and my ministry here in Senegal. But he also made me feel like a million bucks when I'd come home for a visit. And I know if he were alive today, he would be so excited about me moving back to Alabama. Oh my, do I miss him!

 What am I loving?

I'm loving being back with my people after Spring Break ended a couple weeks ago. Whether that's teaching lessons, helping students in a Study Hall, watching their games, or attending events with them, I love it. I'm in my element when I'm with my people.

What have I been up to?

I've been applying to/interviewing for jobs for when I'm back in the US. I have a nice little set up at my dinning table that I use during the interviews and obviously, I only schedule interviews during the late afternoon/early evenings (my time), since I'm still teaching during the day. In that sense, the time difference works out well for me. Anywho - Since the beginning, my prayer has been that God would open the right doors and close the wrong ones and that if I received an offer of a job, He'd make it exceptionally clear what answer I should give. It's hard to turn down jobs, but I know what I'm looking for and I have to fully trust and believe that He knows what's best for me. Now, if the one that is best for me would finally just offer me a job :)

What am I dreading?

If I'm being honest, the goodbyes that are coming at the end of the school year are weighing on my mind. I always hate the normal end of year goodbyes when students leave or friends move away. But this year, I'm feeling the weight of this even more since I'm leaving. I'm leaving students. I'm leaving friends and co-workers. I'm leaving my school/ministry. I'm leaving this country that I love so much. Yes, I'm excited about what's next. But the goodbyes will still be hard. Boy, will they!

What am I working on?

I'm working on sorting and packing. There's just so much stuff. I guess that's normal when you've been in a place as long as I have. But seriously, I had no idea I had so much until the time came to pack to move back to the US in just a few suitcases... People have no idea.

 What am I excited about?

I'm excited about getting some fabric and having a couple things made before I leave. That is one thing on my "bucket list" and I'll soon be able to check it off. A couple friends and I are going to the fabric market this upcoming weekend. Then I'll visit the tailor at some point, maybe the week after that. Here's the style inspiration picks I've been looking at... I'm planning to get a dress, a skirt, and a jacket (not pictured) made. I'm not really sure what color, or even design, of fabric I want. So really, I'm just planning to look around until something catches my eye. So we'll see :)

What am I watching?

Nothing - I watched my way through Brooklyn 99 during Spring Break. But I'm back to ignoring TV shows/movies again. My brain enjoys the quiet in the evenings, more than the thought of watching a show.

What am I reading?

I was reading Romans 12 earlier, realizing I want this to continue to be my guide as I finish out my time here in Senegal. Then our school chaplain shared these verses with us in our staff devotions time this morning. So it was like a little further confirmation for me. Such a great group of verses!

What am I listening to?

Nothing new - Anyone have any suggestions? I'm not terribly picky :)

What am I wearing?

Nothing new or exciting - I've been slowly sorting through my clothes, as I get ready to head back to the US. My plan is to do one last sort next week, keeping out the ones I'll need for the rest of my time here in Senegal and go ahead and pack up any I'm taking to the US with me when I go. Then that'll be one more (well, more than one) thing I can get rid of...

 What am I doing this weekend?

I'm doing a CPR/First Aid training on Saturday morning. Then on Sunday, I will have church and afterwards will go to the fabric market with a couple friends. Then I'll need to do a bit of lesson planning and meal prep at some point too.

What am I looking forward to next month?

All the end of year fun with our seniors (especially the senior trip), along with other stuff happening at school. I'm also looking forward to finishing the big sort and packing for the US (minus the clothes I'll be wearing between now and then). I'll also need to sort through/pack up my classroom since I don't know what's happening in it. And since I purchased a lot of what's in there, I'm planning to sell a lot of that stuff as well. And yes, I'm also looking forward to the random Wednesday we'll have off from school in May, thanks to Senegal having Labor Day then. I'm also planning to take the two days after that off to do that last big sort/pack that I was talking about earlier. 

May is always a super busy month for us at school. But this year, it'll be even more so with all the graduation related events, since I'm one of the senior class sponsors. And while the thought of that causes a roller coaster of emotions in my gut and heart, I'm choosing to embrace it all, deal with/work through the hard times as they come and live in the moment, enjoying the time I have left with the people (and in the place) that I care about so much.  Here's to May!

Favorite recent Amazon find?

I ordered this "belt bag" off Amazon for someone to bring out to me. Yes, I'm about to leave but the smaller purse I use all the time is slowly unraveling. Clearly, I use it every single day. Anywho - I needed something new. And this one met all the criteria: small, nothing fancy, cheap good/safe for travel, and black so it'd go with everything. So yeah... When I realized someone was coming this way, I asked if he'd be willing to bring it out for me.

What's new this month?

My decision to take a picture each morning on my walk to my classroom isn't necessarily new. But the picture below was new, as I took it yesterday. My goal a couple months back was to take a picture each morning on my walk to school. It forced me to stop for a second, take a breath, and look at the sky, marveling at God's handiwork. I'm currently in a busy, stressful, emotional roller coaster time of life, as I finish up another school year and prepare to wrap up my life in Senegal, a place where I've lived and worked for the majority of my adult life. And even though I know that I am 100% lead by God to make this change, it's still hard y'all. So hard. And I don't want to get so caught up in the busy-ness and stress that I forget to notice the seemingly little things that God is doing in my life and the lives of the incredible people He's placed in my path. I want to stop and smell the roses, so to speak. Or in this case... I want to stop and marvel at the beauty of the clouds or the sunrise.

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month? 

What's Up November

 Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Can you believe that it's almost December?! I feel like this year has just flown by! It's hard to believe that it'll be 2024 in just a little over a month. I feel like I blinked and this year just zoomed on by. 

Anywho...

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 currently eating through my freezer/pantry, in an effort to clean out/up and also, to not have to go grocery shopping again (minus a bit of fresh fruits/veggies) before leaving for Christmas Break in a few weeks. So since there's nothing terribly exciting to show for that, I'll instead show some of the deliciousness we had on Thanksgiving...

 

What am I reminiscing about?

In November 2016, I wrote THIS blog post. In it, I wrote about a dream God had laid on my heart, to reach a group of kids that had no other schooling option in our country, including at our own school. I wrote about the excitement I was feeling, knowing this was about to happen in the upcoming school year. And I asked for prayer for all the logistics to be worked out. And it did. I remember being told that I'd have to raise the funds necessary to outfit the class and I said "no problem." And in just 2 months (actually less), I raised close to $8000 which I used to buy books, supplies, shelves, games/toys, chromebooks/ipads, and more for this class. I remember that first day of class in August 2017, taking a first day of school picture in front of the door hanger that said "Miss Nichols," and then stepping inside to wipe my eyes because I was crying. While the dynamic of this program and my classroom have changed since that day, I can still think back and remember the joy I felt in welcoming 3 incredible students into my room that school year. And to think of how we went from only 3 that first year to eventually "overflowing" with students. Ah, what a truly incredible gift it has been to be the teacher of those three originals and all the others who have joined them along the way. It's such a blessing to take the time to look back and reminisce on how God's hand has been so evident in this all the years.

 What am I loving?

I put up the Christmas tree in my classroom earlier this month. I'm loving being able to enjoy the multicolored lights brightening up my classroom. And I might have even gone home after school a time or two and then brought dinner back to my classroom to work there, just so I could enjoy the lights a bit more. I typically will not decorate my apartment for Christmas if I know I'm going back to the US for the actual holiday. So I really am loving having it in my classroom, seeing the lights shining in the background while we’re going about our day.

What have I been up to?

We had a senior class lock-in a couple weeks ago. And boy did I realize (or maybe not realize) just how tiring it could be staying up almost all night with a bunch of 17 and 18 year olds. Ha! In all seriousness, it really was a fun night! I loved seeing how happy/excited they were to have this time together, to hang out and play games, make attaya (a hot, super sugary tea), eat together, sing karaoke, watch a movie, and stay up all night long. Well, not all made it the entire night. But still... We have such a truly great group of kids. And I love that I have the opportunity to be able to work (and have fun) with them.

What am I dreading?

I have a bit of a cold. It's nothing major. But if I talk a lot and/or my throat gets dry, I cough. Makes teaching a bit difficult. So I guess I'm dreading the symptoms of that. And just in case anyone is wondering, it's not C*vid :)

What am I working on?

This morning, I worked on mapping out the midterm exams my high schoolers will be taking. I only have to administer two exams of my own. But since many of my people will take their exams in my room, I need to know who's coming/going when. That way when exam week comes, I'll be ready. Plus, by keeping track of who's taking which exams, I'm able to better help them study in the days before exam week. It's hard to believe that we're almost at this time. I feel like time has just flown by this semester!

 What am I excited about?

I bought my plane tickets for Christmas Break. I'll leave in just 16 days (from the day I post this). I will only have a short time and will be using this as a vacation time. So I won't be able to see many people while there. But, I am grateful for the chance to take a mini vacation and visit my family, to put some thank you cards in the mail to my amazing supporters, and to buy a few supplies I will need for the last few months of school.

What am I watching?

I've been re-watching old episodes of Guy's Grocery Games from the Food Network. I watch very little TV anymore. But that show is still a fun one. I'm planning to start watching some Christmas movies though :)

What am I reading?

I'm currently reading Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. I saw a preview for the movie version on Facebook a week or two ago and thought it looked interesting. So I decided to read the book first. It's not, necessarily, the type of book I normally go for. But it's a good read so far...

What am I listening to?

Christmas music, of course :)

What am I wearing?

I'm still wearing tennis shoes. Every now and then (mostly just to church or to take out garbage or for a quick trip to the store or something like that), I'll wear my sandals. But I'm finding the only relief I get is when I wear tennis shoes. So alas, I believe these will be a regular addition to my wardrobe from now on... 

 What am I doing this weekend?

At this point, I have nothing definite planned, other than going to church on Sunday and doing any last minute lesson prep and meal prep for the week ahead. I might go to watch some of our kids play basketball on Friday night or some of our guys play softball on Saturday. But I'm not sure. If I'm being honest, the thought of staying home and doing nothing sounds pretty appealing too. I love having that option, after all. So we'll see.

What am I looking forward to next month?

Christmas, of course - Christmas fun in my classroom, seeing Christmas lights and decorations, various Christmas parties with classes and small group and friends, the actual holiday of course, Christmas Break (no alarm clock), traveling to see my family... All the things! I love Christmas time! :)

Favorite recent Amazon find?

I haven't ordered anything on Amazon lately. However, I am looking for a dress I could wear at either the Junior Senior Banquet (our school's version of a prom) or Graduation this year or maybe both since the dates are further apart this year. So I might order that if I can find one on there. Shopping online isn't always the easiest, though... So I actually might just wait 'til I'm back in the US over Christmas Break and can shop in person. We'll see.

What's new this month?

Starting Friday (which I realize is actually not this month, but whatever...), I'm going to be doing my annual study of the "Christmas Story" from the book of Luke. I love reading a chapter a day, reminding myself of the goodness surrounding the story of the birth of our Savior.

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, Y'all

 In an effort to be more intentionally grateful, I'm going to start rejoining Erika and Andrea for their weekly Friday Favorites linkup and sharing a few of my favorites (and maybe some of my not so favorites too) from the week.

First up, are these shirts and water bottle stickers which my fellow co-Senior Class Sponsor and I got as a back to school gift for our crew...

 

It was so fun passing these out, and making the kids pose for a commemorative first day of school photo which we sent to their parents, telling them moms and dads always appreciate pictures of their babies, no matter how old they are ;)

And of course, we wore our shirts too :)

And speaking of the first day of school, I was pleased to be back in my save, favorite classroom, ready to see all my favorite people back again for the new school year.

I added this little quote, of sorts, to my computer as a daily reminder of my reason for being here... I love my students and the fact that I get the opportunity to work with them each day. They're such an incredible blessing!

Another favorite of the week was walking home to the smell of freshly cut grass on our soccer field, which is on my walk home. I love that smell! I also love seeing grass on our field. For so many years, it was a dusty field, with no grass whatsoever. Just brown dirt/sand as far as the eye could see. So it's fun to see it so beautifully green now :)

I wish I could show you pictures of my students back at school, working on the latest literature analysis or discussing theology or me helping with various homework assignments or upcoming projects. But since I can't, I'll say that while my job might be tiring at times, I do love what I do. I love working with these incredible individuals that God has called me to work with. That's a definite favorite of mine - this week and every week.

And since it's my blog, and I can, I'll share one last item. Only this one is not a favorite and is, instead, a not so favorite item...

I posted the picture above on Facebook earlier in the week, saying, Chubby chipmunk cheeks are cute 'til they're on you. On Sunday morning, I woke up to intense pain most of the day on the right side of my mouth. I knew what it was. I had a tooth that had broken this summer and a filling came out. By that evening, my cheek started swelling a bit. I barely slept that night. The Aleve I took barely touched the pain. Then, Monday morning, I woke up and my entire right side of my face was swollen - even my upper lip was swelling. So thankfully, my principal is great and told me I could skip the morning meeting. I ran to the pharmacy to pick up antibiotics. And then a friend went with me to the dentist to have it checked out. He confirmed what I was expecting... I needed to have a root canal. So I'll be going this Saturday (tomorrow) to have that done. The thought of having that done and the thought of going by myself is definitely not so favorite one too. But I'm going to be a grown up about it and go, get it done, and then afterwards, go by ice cream to treat myself to later that evening when I'm up to eating again ;)

And that's about it for me this week.

What about you?

What's been your favorite part of your week?