Currently...

I love reading these posts, because it gives me a quick look into a blogger's every day life, and since my body seems to be fighting sleep tonight, I figured I'd go ahead and post. Enjoy :)

I'm currently watching a rerun of Chopped. I could watch the same episodes over and over again and never get tired of them. I've even gotten to where I take notes when good ideas for meals come up. I also think it'd be awesome to be a contestant on Chopped. Food Network, if you're reading this, you should make an amateurs episode and let me be a contestant. I think that's a great idea!

I'm currently looking forward to sleeping late tomorrow

I'm currently reading the book of James for a Bible Study I'm in. It's an awesome book, I tell you. ...simply awesome :)

I'm currently eating nothing. I'm still stuffed from dinner. I was invited to the home of 2 of my students (siblings). We had this amazingly cooked chicken with peanut sauce, fries, and green beans AND chocolate ice cream bars. YUM! :)

I'm currently planning a secret. Hmm... What could it be? :)

I'm currently "window" shopping for some new skirts. Target has some really cute stuff. Window shopping is great because 1) I can shop in my pajamas. 2) I'm not spending any money...just looking. P.S. Is it still considered window shopping if it's online? :)

I'm currently looking forward to the month of May. Why? There's lots happening and places to go and people to see and school finishing up and graduating with my Master's degree and all sorts of fun-ness :)  

I'm currently missing my family. Tomorrow's my dad's birthday. It makes me sad that I'm not there :(

I'm currently loving this cooler weather we've been having in Dakar. It's been so nice getting to wear long sleeves, pants, and socks and getting to use a blanket at night. I love it! :) 

What are you currently up to? 

Thankful Thursday

This week I’m listing some of the little things I’m thankful for, like...

• a team that's here from the States being able to take back mail for me. I’m sure the Alabama Teacher Certification office will be happy for this one too.
• that same team being willing to teach Kids Club next week!
• finally finding a way to teach "counting American coins" so my students would understand.
• a friend who's fluent in French helping me by making a couple phone calls and helping me figure out some paperwork (some of it in French) for something I needed help with.
• 4 new long sleeve shirts found at the market this past weekend :)
• a new workout video I downloaded on iTunes. Oh my goodness, is it kicking my tail...
• 2 packages that came in the mail this week. 

30 by 30

Dear 30 Year Old Me,

I'll meet you in about 2 1/2 years (...actually 2 years, 11 weeks, 6 days as of Sunday). Here's a list of things I hope to have accomplished by that point.

1. Graduate with my Master's Degree.
2. Receive my Certified Minister's Status with the A/G.
3. Receive my Licensed Minister's Status with the A/G.
4. Teach ESL.
5. Pay off (or drastically reduce) my student loan debt.
6. Lose ___ pounds. Yes, I left the blank there for a reason. I know how much I want to lose. But I don't feel the need to post the actual number for the world (...or whoever reads my blog) to see :)
7. Wear a size ___ or smaller. And yes, I realize I left the blank here. I did so for the same reasons as #4 :)
8. Run a 5K (...as in, not jogging/walking like before).
9. Run a 10K.
10. Visit New York City.
11. Visit Washington, D.C.
12. Go on a road trip with my mom.
13. Go to Disney World.
14. Visit New Orleans. (...well, as an adult, I mean. I really don't remember a lot of our time living there when I was a kid.)
15. Spend Christmas Break in Africa.
16. Experience a real winter, complete with snow (and lots of it). :)
17. Start driving in Dakar. It's not that I can't. I have just chosen not to drive here. 
18. Read more books for fun. I read a lot for my job (both parts - missions and teaching). I read for my own schooling. I just don't read a lot for fun.
19. Start being willing to say "no" more. Stop saying "yes" so much. I agree to do/help with a lot. And usually I don't mind. But sometimes, I agree to it even when I know I don't have the time to do so. Then something else ends up suffering. I've got to realize that it's sometimes okay to say "no."
20. Do better at meal planning/grocery shopping. Why? It'll help me save money and time. Plus it'll help me with reaching #6 and #7 on this list.
21. Invite people over more. Since living by myself, I've been able to do this more often. I love hosting dinners at my apartment. I love cooking for people. I love spending time with people. However, in the hustle and bustle of work and life in general, I've gotten where I don't do this as often. I need to fix that.
22. Read the entire Bible twice (once a year). I've done this a few times already, but it's always fun to see how God teaches me something new through passages I've read many times before.
23. Journal through the entire Bible twice (once a year). 
24. Teach a class, lead a devotion, Bible Study (something...) totally in French.
25. Make homemade bread.
26. Get re-certified in CPR/1st Aid. I had this, but let it lapse. I need to get it again.
27. Take a sign language class.
28. Try at least 30 new recipes (and blog about them).
29. Get rid of clothes that are too old/faded (thanks to the harsh sun and dust here) or are too big. Quit keeping things thinking I'll want them one day.
30. Blog my 30 by 30 achievements.

Of course, I'd love to be able to add "get married" and "have a baby" to the list, but those are pretty much out of my control at this point in my life. I can't really make those happen like I can the others. But ideally, they'd be pretty close to the top of my list :)

30 Year Old Me, The most important thing is to live a life that glorifies God. And if you've accomplished the 30 items on this list, that's just a bonus :)

Sincerely, 

27 Year Old Me

The 57th Dear ______ Post

Dear Comps Exam, I found out this week that I passed you. What a relief that was!

Dear People Magazine, You’re my guilty pleasure. I love reading you. You’re one of my first purchases in the airport when I get back to the U.S. So imagine my delight when a sweet co-worker brought me 3 (yes, 3!) she’d bought and read while on a trip over the break. Yay for light-hearted-no-thinking-necessary reading :)

Dear Psych (the t.v. show), Can we say HUGE cliffhanger?! I mean, we all knew it was coming eventually, but still…

Dear Counting Pennies, Did you know that you’re sometimes a difficult concept for kids to understand? Almost every year, I find that counting nickels and dimes are easier for my students. Odd...

Dear Saturday Market, You were good to me today. Normally I'm lucky if I can find one thing that fits and is in my price range. But today, I racked up. I found 4 long sleeved tops and a skirt. And I only paid about $12 for all of them. Yay for cute and cheap clothes! :)

Dear Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting, You are my favorite cake and you're my dessert of choice tonight for dinner. 

Dear Cooler Temps, We've been having you the past couple weeks. It's been so nice having temps in the low 70s, allowing me to break out our long sleeved shirts, socks, and blankets. Thanks for giving me a break from the heat. I know you won't last long, so I'm definitely going to enjoy you while you last.

Dear James 1:5-7, You are verses I've read many times before, but for some reason you stuck out to me this past week. Thanks for opening my eyes a little more. Thanks for being the reminder that I needed.

Dear This Week, You have been really, really good. Thanks for that :) 

Thankful Thursday

This week I’m thankful for…

First, the BIG…

I passed my COMPS exam! Woohoo! :) My brother emailed me this picture of the letter the school sent me informing me of this awesomeness.

He then called me to make sure I’d seen it. I am so thankful for my brother and this little act of kindness. He made an EXPENSIVE international phone call just to tell me the results of my test because he knew how important it was to me. He didn’t have to do that, but he did. And it meant so very much to me to see how much he cared :)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As always, I’m thankful for a lot. However, I’m trying to be more intentional about being thankful for the “little” things too. So, here are some of the other things that have happened this week. I’m thankful for…

• my microwave and crockpot. My cooking gas ran out earlier this week and I was either too busy, or simply forgot, to get more. So I’ve been especially thankful for these two appliances this week.
• 2 different people telling me this week to be expecting packages in the mail in the next few weeks. Yay for surprises and care packages :)
• all the congrats I got on passing my Comps exam and being that much closer to graduating.
• a good first week back in school after our long Spring Break.
• a sweet co-worker that's brought me some People magazines she bought while on a trip over the break :)
• the amazingly cool temps we've been having lately. 
• supportive parents. It's nice knowing that I have their full support, love, and encouragement while doing what I've been called to do
• the book of James.
• the Master Teacher (which isn't really a little thing - more like a huge thing).

The 56th Dear ____ Post

Dear Senegal, Your Independence Day was this past Thursday. I celebrated by taking the day off, staying home, watching a movie or two, reading a book, and doing absolutely nothing productive :)

Dear Staying Home for a Few Days, You're not as enjoyable as I thought you'd be. Don't get me wrong. I love being able to sleep late and then hang out at home in my PJs all day, doing work from home. But, I think I'd started going a little stir crazy and was ready to get out...even if just to the school for a couple hours to work in my classroom :)

Dear Kraft Mac & Cheese, Oh my goodness... I forgot how incredibly delicious you were. Thanks for the tasty reminder.

Dear Cooking Gas, I wish there was a way to know in advance when you're about to run out. It's a little frustrating to be in the middle of cooking supper and have it go out. There's an invention for someone to make. Anyone up for it? :)

Dear Scheduling Services for this Summer, I'm in the middle of you right now. I'm not going to lie. You haven't been easy. But I am so grateful for the contacts I've made, the yes's I've received, the services I've been able to schedule. Now if I could just schedule a few more...

Dear Anna Karenina (the book), I'm thinking about reading you. I'm trying to decide if I want to tackle you, though. You are pretty long...

Dear James (the book of the Bible), Starting this week, I'll be involved in a Beth Moore Bible study on you with some ladies in our community. I'm so looking forward to it!

Dear Tonight's Plans, You didn't work out like I'd hoped. I'd been invited to a wedding, but had to turn it down due to dinner plans I'd already made. Then my dinner invite called and asked for a rain check. So I ended up being stuck at home. But that wasn't all bad. I got to make myself a yummy dinner (via the microwave), watch a fun movie (via my laptop), and have a long chat with my mom and 2 different friends (via Skype and Facebook). Thanks technology. You made my night pretty awesome :)

Dear 1st Graders, I've enjoyed my Spring Break, having time off from work, and being able to sleep late, but I've definitely missed you. You 8 make my life so much more fun. I'm excited for school to be starting back on Monday :)

The 55th Dear _____ Post

Dear Weight Off My Shoulder, You're what I felt once my test was finished a little over a week ago. Now I just wait to get my results back, so I can see how I did...

Dear Ivory Coast, I got the chance to visit you this past week. The little that I saw in the city where we were staying was nice. Thanks for a good trip and another stamp in my passport :)

Dear Co-Workers Working Around West Africa, It was nice getting to know a lot of you. It's so exciting hearing all the awesome things that God is doing around our area of this continent.

Dear Bible, You're such an awesome book. As a Christian, I already know that you contain the answer to any issue that comes along, good or bad. I feel blessed to know what an awesome resource I have in you.

Dear Easter, You were really nice this year. I got to attend one of our Senegalese churches. I got to eat lunch and spend the day with an awesome family (that reminds me a lot of my own family). I got to have a long chat with my mom. And I got to chat for a few minutes with a friends I haven't talked to for a while. ...not to mention the fact that I got to celebrate the resurrection of my Savior! All in all, I'd say it was a great day :)

Dear Sugar Cookies with Peanut Butter M&Ms, I made you yesterday using some M&Ms my sweet parents sent me from good ol' America. You were quite delicious and a cute Easter treat too.

Dear Watermelon, I heart you. Thanks for being a sweet, tasty treat.

Dear Elbow, I'm not sure how I managed to scrape you, but man do you hurt. It's amazing that such a small body part can hurt so much. Ouch!

Dear Future, God's been talking to me quite a bit about you. I can't wait to see what God has in store for my life. It's like a movie leaving you on a cliff hanger, leaving you in excited suspense... I can't wait :)