What's Up Wednesday

  Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay and Sheaffer for the first What's Up Wednesday link-up of 2024. Can y'all believe that today is the last day of January? Wasn't it just New Year's Day?! 

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 pot of chili on Monday. Oh my word, y'all... It was so good! And it might not have been cold outside (quite the opposite, in fact). But I totally bottomed out my AC that evening and pretended like it was winter inside. Whatever it takes. Right? Ha! :) 

What am I reminiscing about?

Our current senior class as students over the years... Because I taught some of these kids back when I was an elementary teacher (1st, 4th, and 5th grades) and then a few since becoming a special ed teacher (which started when this class started 6th grade), not to mention all the class sponsoring and other stuff I've done with them... I recognize the gift/privilege it has been to have all these years with them, and it's one I don't take lightly. I love that I've had this sort of front row seat perspective of seeing them learn and grow over the years. And while I know I'll be crying all sorts of happy/proud tears on their graduation night in June, I really can't wait! What an awesome group of people they are!

 What am I loving?

One night, as I was praying about a situation I'd recently experienced, the Lord laid Lamentations 3:22-23 on my heart... 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning...

Anywho - As I read this verse, I thought about my view as I walk across campus each morning, on my way from my apartment to my classroom. I love this view of the beautiful sky/beginnings of the sunrise peeking behind the trees and buildings. So I made it my mission to stop each morning and take a quick picture of the sky. By doing this, it has allowed me to force myself to stop, take a breath, and thank God for his incredible mercies and to thank him that even if something bad happened the day before, it's okay. His love and mercy never ends. It's new every single morning. And that is such an incredible gift!

What have I been up to?

Some friends and I went grocery shopping the other day. And while I was sitting in the car waiting on them to finish up in one store, I had to laugh. Here I am sitting on the side of the road and when I look up, I see a bunch of goats walking towards me. This one just stopped and stared at me. It's such a natural sight here, so I shouldn't let it surprise me. But for some reason, it still does all these years later :)

What am I dreading?

Pretty much anytime I have to go outside... The dust has been so awful lately. I feel like the minute I go outside, I instantly feel choked up. It's just so heavy in the air, turning the air almost orange/tan. In fact, most of the weather apps have put out warnings a lot lately about the quality of the air, due to all the dust. It's always bad this time of year. But I feel like it's worse for some reason this year...

What am I working on?

Trying to not get sick... Ah, one of the joys of working in a school. Kids are the best at sharing germs with one another. And it seems like there's always something going around. Here's hoping it stays far far away :)

 What am I excited about?

One of the perks of teaching for as long as I have is getting to see students come back and visit along the way. When a former elementary student reached out, saying his school was visiting our city for an event, asking if I could potentially meet up, of course I jumped at the chance. And I'm taking a few of his former classmates with me as well. We say that our school is sometimes like a revolving door. Kids are always coming and going. So it's rare they're around for long periods of time. That's what makes this meet-up happening tonight such an exciting one for me. My teacher heart is excited today. That's for sure :)

What am I watching?

I watched "A Man Called Otto" on the plane on my way back to Senegal. Y'all... I was literally crying at the end (and at multiple other points during the movie too). I know I'm late watching it. But still... It was such a good movie that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

What am I reading?

I'm reading through the book of Philemon with one of my classes, as we put into practice some of the lessons we're learning on the spiritual discipline of Bible studying. We're using Philemon, since it's one of the shorter books of the Bible and we're therefore able to read and reread it multiple times, gaining all sorts of wisdom from it as we go. I love exploring, with my students, all the lessons God has for us through the reading, studying, and application of His Word!

What am I listening to?

While in the States and listening to the radio one day in the car, I heard the song "Brighter Days" by Blessing Offor. I love the music by itself, even without the lyrics, but I did, definitely, like/appreciate the words as well. I wasn't having the best day the first time that I heard it. I was feeling quite down, in fact, worrying about something and dwelling on the unknowns and bemoaning all of that to my mom. Then a few minutes later, this song came on the radio and it really made me stop and adjust my thinking that day...

What am I wearing?

Nothing exciting... It seems like the coolness didn't really last too long. So unfortunately, I'm back to wearing things that are lightweight and cool again. Here's hoping by next month, I'll be able to answer this question a bit differently... What do y'all think? :)

 What am I doing this weekend?

Since I'm a (co) sponsor for our senior girls Small Group, that means this weekend, I'll be hanging out with 100+ high schoolers and some of my co-workers, at our High School Youth Group Retreat. I am looking forward to spending this time with the majority of our high schoolers. And I'm praying this weekend is a good time for them to continue drawing closer to the Lord.

What am I looking forward to next month?

We'll be planning our last big fundraiser for our senior class (insert break to cry a little here), which will be happening on the 1st of March. But all the work will be happening next month... So that's the biggest thing. Then there's a few fun things I have planned for the classes I teach. Plus Valentines Day is next month. And while I could live my life without the holiday, personally, I do like it as a teacher. I'm a big fan of finding ways to treat my students :)

Favorite recent Amazon find?

I ordered a few accessories to go with a "costume" idea I had for the fundraiser I was just talking about. And by costume, I mean, something to go with the t-shirt and jeans I'll be wearing. That way I can fit in with the theme but still be comfy, since I'll be working during the event, itself. But since the theme hasn't actually been announced yet, I won't share what I bought just yet... But I still am pretty happy about what I bought. :)

What's new this month?

Not a lot, other than things I've already mentioned in this post... Just living this life God's called me to live :)

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month? 

My Word for 2024

 Happy New Year (plus a few days) from Senegal!

A few years ago, in place of the more traditional New Year's Resolutions, I decided to start choosing a word (or words) for the upcoming year. Words that would guide my thoughts and actions throughout the year... Words I could focus on as I moved throughout the year ahead. 

In 2017, I chose the words joy, move, write, read, and rest.

In 2018, I chose the word growth.

In 2019, I chose the words grace and rest.

In 2020, I chose the word care.

And then in 2021, I chose the word grace (again).

And then I don't know what happened the last two years. I guess I didn't blog about them. However, I did still choose words for both years... In 2022, I chose the words "be still" and in 2023, I chose the word "faithful."

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

A few weeks ago, I began praying about what word/words I would choose for the upcoming year. And one word kept coming to mind...

Choice

It made me think of a quote from Thomas Guthrie, that I'd saved from Instagram a month or so ago, which said...

"If you find yourself loving any pleasure more than your prayers

Any book better than the Bible

Any house better than the house of the Lord

Any table better than the Lord's table

Any persons better than Christ

Or any indulgence better than the hope of Heaven

Be alarmed."

That quote had definitely stuck with me.

I read my Bible every day. But how often do I find myself mindlessly scrolling through social media or watching some funny TV show, saying I'm too tired to read/study and that I'll fall asleep if I read?

How often do I feel frustrated about a situation and want to vent to a friend instead of first (or at all) spending time in prayer about the situation? 

How often do I take a more negative/pessimistic view in life?

I could continue, but you get the idea.

While I'm a bit ashamed to admit the above, I still wanted to share. Perhaps in the spirit of honesty and vulnerability and maybe some accountability too... 

Yes, I'm a Christian.

Yes, I'm in ministry. 

But I'm also human and (obviously) not perfect. 

So, all that to say...

This year, my word for the year is 

CHOICE.

I'm going to work harder at making the right choices.

The choice to spend time reading/studying my Bible MORE than reading other books or mindlessly scrolling through social media or watching a TV show

The choice to spend time in prayer FIRST before venting to, or asking advice from, others about any situation that may arise.

The choice to look for the positives MORE than the negatives.

The choice to eat healthier and NOT settle for junk as much. And along those lines, the choice to do more prep work ahead of time for meals AND snacks. That way I'll know that I have good, filling, healthy options available. Will I still have snacks and eat junk food or order a pizza every now and then? Of course. BUT I know me. When I plan ahead, I do so much better.

The choice to spend my time doing more things that fill me up and bring me JOY. 

The choice to say NO when I need to and actually be okay with that. As much as I'd like to think otherwise, I tend to be a people pleaser. And part of that involves saying "yes" to all the things, even when I really really don't want to do all the things. So I'm going to do a better job of choosing what I say yes (or no) to. And I'm going to remind myself that it's okay to say no every now and then.

The choice to be happy with myself and who I am.

I realize that last one semi-contradicts a lot that I've said earlier in this post. But hear me out... I tend to be quite negative about myself (in many areas), often comparing myself to others or letting others' opinions of me affect how I view/look at/think about myself. But I'm going to make a more conscientious effort to CHOOSE to look at the positives of me. I'm happy with this life God's given me. I'm happy with who I am. And that's important.

And now, if you've made it this far and read my ramblings, I'd like to say thank you. I started this blog 14.5 years ago, as a way to keep family and friends back home updated when I moved overseas. These days, I don't write nearly as much as I used to. It's basically been morphed into a journal of sorts, where I share random info about my life at the moment. But I keep writing/posting because I enjoy it.

Happy 2024 Everybody!

What new/positive choices will you be making this year?

Currently

   Happy Friday, Y'all

I'm joining Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness, along with a few other bloggers, and sharing a look at what's currently going on in my life. The prompts for this month are:

* loving * looking forward to * resolving * doing to stay cozy this month * cooking *

I'm currently loving this picture that I took while flying back to Dakar yesterday. I've always loved looking up (or down when in a plane, of course) at the clouds. It just makes me marvel at how beautiful/cool God's creation truly is. 

I'm currently looking forward to school starting back on Monday. Don't get me wrong... I loved my Christmas Break. It was amazing! But, I do so much better when I have a routine in place, so that part will definitely be nice. And I love being with my students. So I'm excited to have them back in my classroom again too. It'll be great to see them again, hear about their breaks, and to be working with each of them for another semester.

I'm currently resolving to make better/different choices in a lot of areas of my life. I'll write more on this later. But I decided that my word for the year is going to be choice. And it all (well, mostly) started with this quote that a friend shared on Instagram a few months ago...

I'm currently doing a little to stay cozy this month. It's definitely not winter here in Senegal. The temp here is about 30-40 degrees warmer than the temp was in Alabama when I left the other day. So there won't likely be any cozying up under a blanket happening here. But, I am planning to cozy up in my comfiest chair to work on my Bible studying and journaling later this afternoon/evening. 

I'm currently cooking nothing big. I brought a Korean BBQ flavored ramen cup with me from the States and brought it today to eat for my lunch while working in my classroom. I'll go heat it up for a late lunch in a little while. And then I'm thinking that for dinner, I'll probably just make a cheese quesadilla to go with some salsa I forgot I had in my fridge that is still, thankfully, good. Easy peasy.

And since it's my blog and I can, I'm including a few more currentlys in this month's post :)

I'm currently feeling grateful for the time I had with my family during my trip to the States. I do so love spending time with these people!

And speaking of that trip, I'm currently also feeling grateful that I had such a  smooth trip, with no major delays and that all of my bags arrived with me. Often, neither of those two factors happen. So I'm always especially grateful when they do.

I'm currently reflecting on these verses from Isaiah 51. A friend shared the following on her Instagram this morning and it got me thinking too... What a great reminder for us all!

And that’s about it for me.

What  about you?

What are you currently up to? 

What's Up December

 Happy Wednesday, Y'all

Today, I'm joining Shay and Sheaffer for the last What's Up Wednesday link-up of the year. 2023 was a wild ride. Here's hoping 2024 is amazing!

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 eating all sorts of deliciousness... There's been Chick-fil-a and Mexican food from restaurants, the yummy spread we had on Christmas Day, an amazing baked potato topped with BBQ beef brisket I had last week, and so on. But one of my favorite things to eat (and make) was pancakes with my nieces. It's become a bit of tradition anytime I'm here visiting, to make chocolate chip pancakes with my nieces. And as they've gotten older, they've taken over more and more of the responsibility of making them. It's so fun to see how they've grown and to spend this time with them. Such precious memories for sure!

What am I reminiscing about?

My dad always loved the old trucks, especially red ones. So any time I see one I think of him. I think that's why I love how often you see them on Christmas decor. It makes me think of him. And of course, I always spend time at the holidays reminiscing about days gone by, thinking about my dad and wishing he was still with us, enjoying the family memories we're making together.

 What am I loving?

Being with my family :)

What have I been up to?

I mean, technically, the same answer from the last question could easily go here too. Seriously, being with my family is great. And this was the first time in a long time that we were able to actually celebrate Christmas together on Christmas Day and not a day before/after in a long long time, so that was special!

What am I dreading?

Nothing

What am I working on?

I finally mailed out my long overdue newsletters, along with Christmas cards, a couple days after landing in Alabama. Thankfully, I had my sweet mama to help me address/stamp the big stack of envelopes.

 What am I excited about?

I got some graduation cards in the mail the other day. How is it possible that there is only 5.5 more months 'til some of my favorite kiddos graduate? I know I'll cry when the day comes to deliver those cards. But boy am I so incredibly excited for, and proud of, each and every one of those incredible kids. I have known some of them since elementary school, some since middle school, and some for just a year or two. But I feel the same about them all. It's been such a joy working with their class! And it truly is exciting to think about what might be next for them all!

What am I watching?

Very little.

What am I reading?

I haven't been reading much. But I do have a couple books downloaded on my iPad, ready to read on my return flight to Dakar next week, thanks to a Christmas gift of an Amazon gift card.

What am I listening to?

I'm still listening to Christmas music. Although, I suppose that I should stop, since Christmas is over. However, my mom's family's Christmas get-together is this weekend coming up, so technically Christmas isn't over for us yet. So I can still listen to Christmas music a bit longer. Right? ;)

What am I wearing?

All the cold weather clothes... Oh my word is it cold here! I recognize it's only in the 50s here and that's nothing compared to some parts of the US (and beyond). But for this girl who's used to Dakar's temps, the 50s is freezing! :)

 What am I doing this weekend?

Meeting up with friends on Friday, dinner with my aunt and uncle (dad's brother and wife) Friday, celebrating Christmas with my mom's side of the family on Saturday, church somewhere on Sunday, and I'll need to make a Wal-Mart run at some point this weekend to buy a few food items to take back to Dakar with me too. Then past that, who knows what mischief I'll get into :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

The first couple days of the month, I'll still be in Alabama with my family. So that'll be nice. I leave on the 3rd, heading back to Senegal. And, past that... I typically love the return back to my students in January. I love hearing about their December Breaks with their families. I love hearing from those who celebrate Christmas on how that went. I love seeing their excitement over being back together again. It's a fun time as a teacher :)

Favorite recent Amazon find?

I ordered myself this shirt. Now when I'm all emotional over the thought of my people graduating or stressed over all the busy-ness of second semester, which will be include even more this year for me than in the past, I can wear this shirt and pretend it is (and I am) all fine. ha! :)

What's new this month?

Nothing much...

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

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month? 

Currently

  Happy Thursday, Y'all

I'm joining Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness, along with a few other bloggers, and sharing a look at what's currently going on in my life. However, I'm ignoring the prompts for this month and instead just writing about some of the random "currentlys" floating around in my head.

So what's currently on my mind?

I'm currently thinking about Christmas. I found the cutest shirts on Amazon for my nieces. Each one has something on it that I know they'll love. I wasn't even looking for them. I was looking for a dress for myself and for some reason, Amazon showed me these shirts. And the best part was that they were on sale because of an extended Cyber Monday deal. So that helped! And on the off chance, they're reading this over someone's shoulder, which could indeed happen knowing them, I don't want to post the pictures of them just yet ;)

I'm currently smiling over (about?) the sweetness of my students. One of my girls mentioned wanting to mail a birthday card to a friend in the States. So I quickly found a card design on Etsy, printed it out, and asked a fellow teacher if this student's classmates could sign it during his class the next day, and then a person visiting took it later that night to mail once he got back to the States. Then there was another student who helped me plan a snack theme for our Christmas party that all students could enjoy, including the one friend that has fairly significant food allergies. There was another student who asked to borrow my colored pens to write a birthday note to her mom, asking me how to spell certain words as she wrote. And yet another who excitedly told me all about his plans for an upcoming project he’ll be doing with his parents and the mission work they’re doing, because "I just love getting to help other people, especially when they don't know that I'm helping. It's all about them and nothing about me!" :)

I'm currently shifting into study mode with most of my people, as we prepare for their midterms next week. I told someone the other day that it's somewhat surreal... For so many years, as an elementary teacher, at this point in the school year, I would have been planning all sorts of Christmas crafts and coloring sheets and all of that. But for the last few years, I've been creating, helping kids study for, and administering exams. And while I do miss the fun Christmasy activities, I do so love what I'm doing now too :)

I'm currently enjoying this casserole I made the other day, with shredded pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, rotel, cream of chicken, a bit of chicken broth, cilantro, some random seasonings, and topped with grated cheddar cheese. And it lasted a while too! Y'all... It was so good!

I'm currently feeling happy that at the end of next week, I'll be able to see my family again, for the start of my Christmas Break vacation :)

I'm currently looking forward to Friday's lunchtime party with my students. We're having ice cream (or sorbet) and juice. Then they can either eat lunch and hang out in my room or take it with them when they come pick up their Christmas gifts. I enjoy this day each year. We get to "party" before the craziness of the last week gets here - when my younger students get out early since they don't take exams and my older ones will be busy studying for their exams.

And lastly, I'm currently planning to pick up this journal that I ordered for myself a few weeks ago when I arrive in the States next week. I like that there are 366 pages in it, so my plan is to take a page a day in my efforts to journal all year and also, to intentionally notice/show gratitude for all the ways God is working in my life in 2024. P.S. How is it almost 2024 already?! Is that crazy to anyone else besides me?! :)

And that’s about it for me.

What  about you?

What are you currently up to? 

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?

Currently

 Happy Wednesday, Y'all

I'm joining Jennifer from Overflowing with Thankfulness, along with a few other bloggers, and sharing a look at what's currently going on in my life. 

The prompts for this month's post are:

* loving * buying * prepping * borrowing * planning *

So what am I currently up to?

I'm currently loving that it's almost Christmas time and I'm loving the knowledge that this upcoming weekend, I'm planning to put up the Christmas tree in my classroom. Yes, it’s early. Earlier than I’ll have ever put up a Christmas tree… But that’s ok because seeing the joy on so many kiddo’s faces (and mine too - let's be honest) will make it 100% worth it :)

Christmas Time last year

I'm currently buying nothing. My goal is to buy my Christmas Break plane ticket by the end of the month, though. Here's hoping I can actually do that.

I'm currently prepping nothing really... We had our big fundraiser for our seniors this past Friday. It went amazingly well. However, it required a lot of prep leading up to it. So I'm kind of glad to not have to be prepping anything for a little while, to be honest :)

I'm currently borrowing this meme I found online, as a way of discussing what makes a hero a hero in one of my classes. We actually ended up having quite an interesting discussion on it too. So... Who's your favorite hero? Does Jesus make your list? ;)

I'm currently planning very little for this upcoming weekend. I think my brain is still tired from last week's super full (busy) schedule. I've gotten spoiled this school year, having such a better/less full schedule than I had the years prior. So last week was tough, y'all. Anywho - I'm going to put up the Christmas tree in my classroom Friday afternoon and then go watch our school's musical version of Frozen JR that night. And that's all I've got planned, besides church and lesson prep / meal prep for the week ahead. 

And since it's my blog, and I can, I'm throwing in a few more Currently's...

I'm currently reading/studying through Genesis with one of my classes. We've been discussing a lot around Creation and science and evolution and all sorts of interesting-ness. I love reading God's Word and seeing proof, over and over again, to back up why I believe what I believe. I love that God gives us this proof in His Word and makes it abundantly clear.

I'm currently nursing a sore foot (actually it's my heel/achilles?). It's been hurting for a week or so. Then this weekend, it got way worse. It's not as awful as this weekend, but still annoyingly painful, and it appears that I'll probably need to continue babying it for at least a few more weeks. I mean, I live with a somewhat constant bit of dull pain, so I'm used to that. But this pain was new and so not fun. I talked with a doctor friend in the US and per her instructions, I'm taking meds and doing some stretches that should help it. And I'm also propping it up and icing it as much as I can.  Y'all... My poor feet. When I fell 3.5 years ago, I did a number on both of them and I don't think they'll ever be back to normal :(

I'm currently trying to focus my heart/mind into more of an attitude of gratitude lately. Trying to look at the seemingly little things (or sometimes big things) in my day that I'm thankful for... Things I sometimes take for granted. So when I get frustrated/annoyed, instead of focusing on that, ideally, I'll do better at focusing on the good. I don't always succeed. But I'm trying.

So what about you?

What are you currently up to?