ABCs

I'm bored so I thought I'd join the ABCs craze that's been going around Facebook lately :)

Age? 29.999 - How is it possible that I'll be 30 years old next week?!

Biggest Fear? Snakes would be number one on that list. Never getting married is a close second though...

Current Time? It's close to 8:00 on a Wednesday night. How sad is it that I'm so tired that I feel as if I could go on to sleep now?! :)

Drink You Last Drank? Ice water. I have a new rule in life to not drink caffeine after lunch. It aids in the sleeping at night goal I have.

Easiest Person to Talk to? My mama 

Favorite Singer? I'm loving Rend Collectice at the moment.

Grossest Memory? ...that lovely time where I threw up on the passenger in front of me on the plane. Good times y'all. Ugh. Not!

Hometown? I currently live in Heiberger (Marion), Alabama.

In Love? ...with God? Yes. Past that, there's no one on the love front at the moment.

Jealous of? ...can't think of anything.

Kids? None. 

Loving? ...having a few more days of sleeping late left :)

Middle name? Elisabeth

Number of siblings? 1 brother

One Wish? ...having my student loans completely paid off would be nice :)

Person you last called? my mom

Question you're always asked? So when are you going to finally settle down and get married? Don't you think it's about time? Ugh!

Reason to smile? Isn't breathing enough? Past that... I get to see my nieces on Friday :)

Song last heard? All That I Am by Rend Collective

Time you woke up? 6:00

Uncool thing you heard/saw? How about the relative at my family reunion who cornered me, concerned about my safety teaching in Selma due to a whole lot of racist crap that I tuned out and the proceeded to tell him what I thought of his ignorant racist comments.

Vacation desired? London! Who wants to join me? Spring Break trip? :)

What I'm wearing? PJs ...otherwise known as my most favorite thing to wear.

X-rays you've had? teeth, knee, arm/wrist

Yesterday's plans? I spent the day working in my classroom. It paid off too because that, combined with the work my mom and I did today, helped me finish up today. ...with the exception of what I'll be buying after payday on Friday.

Zodiac Sign? Believe in it? Nope.

What's up July

Today I'm linking up with Mix and Match Mama, Pinterest Told Me To, and The Larson Lingo for the end of July's What's Up Wednesday post.

The questions for this monthly series are always similar, with a few tweaked from time to time, depending on what's going on.

The only different aspect of these is that there's always one last question that is significant to the month at hand.

So if you want to join along, grab the "button" below and the questions above and go for it! :)

What am I eating this week?

I'm working in my classroom some this week, getting things set up/ready for the new school year. So while at Walmart the other day, I stocked up on whole wheat wraps, turkey, spinach, and pepper jack cheese to make healthy (and filling) wraps. I bought a big bag of almonds and portioned those out into healthy snack servings. And I also got a big bag of frozen fruit and a carton of almond milk to make up some tasty smoothies for breakfast on the go. 

What am I reading? 

At the moment in reading two books. 1) Draw the Circle by Mark Batterson and 2) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. ...quite the combination, huh? :)

What am I listening to?

I have quite the eclectic taste in music, so it's always fun to see what song comes up next when my iTunes is on shuffle. As for my current favorite... I'm really loving Rend Collective's More than Comquerors.

What am I dreading? 

...that super early wake up call starting back next week. Boo to the end of summer break :(

What am I excited about?

...seeing my classroom come together the way I envisioned it :)

What am I looking forward to in August?

My birthday and work and seeing "my" kids (students) again and and getting back into a routine again and my niece's birthday and a family zoo trip and whatever else I can get into :)

What am I reminiscing about?

Senegal. It was on this day 6 years ago that I boarded a plane heading to my home away from home for the very first time.

What am I wearing? 

The requirements for today's outfit were as follows: It must be comfortable since I'm working in my classroom all day, cleaning and decorating.  And it must include a hat since my hair didn't want to cooperate this morning :)

What am I loving?

This quote...

What have I been up to?

...spending a little time each day getting my classroom ready for my kids to start back next week.

What am I doing this weekend?

I'll be treating myself and my mom (if I can talk her into it) to a pedicure and lunch. Plus I have to go to Kinkos to print some stuff for school. Why not print them at home? I want to save my color ink :)

What else is new? 

I'm embracing a new "keep calm and be flexible" attitude. And so far, it's working quite well for me :)

And for the July question...

What will I miss most about the summer?

Honestly, the thing I'll miss most is being able to hang out with this lady so much. 

It's the Little Things - Vacation Edition

My mom and I spent the last 9 days in Mobile, Alabama. For 5 of those days, I was in "work mode" because of a conference I was attending. But the other 4 days were fun, fun, fun! 

And now that we are back home, I can't help but think of some of the "little" blessings God gave me these past 9 days. 

Things like...

...time spent walking/browsing through a farmer's market.

...a Bible verse that stuck out as so applicable to life in America today.

...finding a great sale at a popular children's clothing store, allowing my mom and I the chance to buy some cuteness for my nieces :)

...finding 2 pairs of light up tennis shoes :)

...being able to meet up with an old friend for lunch AND have some good ol' southern food while there.

...seeing a friend from childhood and getting to watch her babies be dedicated at church that morning.

...some down time in between meetings, giving my brain a break (and allowing me to take such awesome selfies as this). Haha! :)

...a school system that supports its teachers to learn and better themselves.

...getting my fill of delicious seafood all week :)

...amazing workshops, such as this one, which helped me dream a little on how to better my teaching of the kids God has placed in my care.

...visiting a church that feels like home.

...visiting a popular breakfast/brunch place that serves delicious hot tea.

...walking around and exploring downtown Mobile with my mom.

...a middle eastern restaurant, that served delicious food at a great price! 

...a beautiful sky on the way back to our hotel one night.

...a quick trip to the beach/pier in Gulf Shores and a reminder of a man who so loved that place.

Of course there are some pictures I somehow managed not to get because I guess I was too busy "living in the moment" to take them, or maybe I'm just getting senile in my old age :)

Pictures of...

...the family whose house we ate at twice, spending time chatting with them, catching up and laughing, and just having a good time together.

...the two co-workers who I "hung out with" during the conference, attending workshops together, chatting in between meetings, eating lunch together, and chatting about our respective jobs and planning for the upcoming school year.

...the friend who I met up with in one of my sessions, and who I was able to give a ride to afterwards. 

...talking to one of my teachers from high school AND him recognizing me, leading me to believe that maybe I don't look 30 years old yet :)

And there were so many more. 

But my most favorite blessing from this trip was being able to spend so much with my most favorite person (besides Jesus of course) - my mama :)

Teachers are learners too.

I've been at a teacher's conference all week and I've observed quite a bit. Here are a few of the "lessons" I've learned...

Put a group of teachers together and they'll talk far more than their students ever do.

Offer teachers free pencils, highlighters, mouse pads, or just about any other office supply item, and they'll listen to you forever!

Place shelves of brightly colored picture books right by the entrance and you're guaranteed to have every elementary teacher stop and shop.

Offer candy as an incentive and almost every single teacher will visit your booth (at least once). 

Teachers love a good goody bag.

*Notice a trend? :)

Anywho. Back to the lessons...

Think only kids have short attention spans? Try putting a group of teachers in a ridiculously long meeting with no stretch breaks. Then you'll see short attention spans :)

A good teacher always strives to learn more.

Teachers have cliques too. Don't let them tell you otherwise.

A teacher wants to sit by her buddy in a meeting just as a student liked to sit by her buddy in a class.

And if that teacher sits by her buddy, she'll most likely talk during the meeting.

Teachers enjoy potty breaks, snack breaks, and stretch breaks too. So why do so many struggle at providing these for their kids.

I believe almost all teachers would agree that having a nap time everyday would be a good thing.

Ask a teacher why she chose that profession and more likely than not, she'll say it was because of another teacher :)

Musings on a Monday - Life

So what am I musing about early this Monday morning? 

Life.

Yesterday, I visited one of the churches my dad pastored when I was a kid. I loved this church so much. And I still do!

We've only changed a little in the last 20 years. ...just a little. Ha! :)

Anywho, I truly did enjoy the service. The worship was so annointed. The preaching was too. The Spirit showed up and moved in a mighty way! I loved it!

Plus, it was Baby Dedication day and they dedicated 9 babies. It was a beautiful celebration. ...and even more meaningful since my friend was dedicating hers today. I loved being there and getting to see it!

But here's the deal.

As much as I was happy to be there (and I truly was so incredibly happy for my friend, her husband, and all the other mommies and daddies participating), it was still hard.

Why? 

It was yet another reminder of my lack of such things (husband, children, family). 

Y'all... 

When I was a little girl, I just assumed the plan was that God would let me get married, live in a little house with a white picket fence, and have a house full of kids. 

Fast forward to present day... I'm about to turn 30 (Gasp! I know, right?!) and the singleness is still alive and kickin'.

And honestly... It usually doesn't bother me. 

But today? 

Today it did. 

Today I struggled with my questions of why and I begged God for an answer to that powerful 3 letter question, but do you know what I got...

So in honor of that silence, I decided to do what I would tell anyone else in my position... 

I chose to forego my nap and spend some time in prayer.

I prayed for wisdom and guidance.

I prayed for strength.

I prayed for a combatant against this loneliness.

I prayed for peace and comfort.

And then...

Then, I prayed for forgiveness. 

I prayed that God would forgive me for not trusting Him with my life. 

I prayed that God would forgive me for not trusting God with making plans for my future.

 

I prayed that God would forgive me for allowing the devil to rob me of some of my happiness today.

And lastly...

I prayed for my future.

I prayed for a better attitude.

I prayed for my future husband and children. 

And I prayed for the paitence to wait for them (in case God decides at some point to bless me in this way).

And you know...

It was then that I heard God say, 

Trust me.

And I knew... 

It will all work out in the end.

Would I like to be in a relationship right now?

YES! 

I mean, just to be asked out a date at this point would be a win :)

But I will do what my Savior asked of me. 

I will trust Him.

And I will wait.

But in the mean time, if anyone knows of any single Christian guys who love Jesus, feel free to send them my way.

Just kidding... Unless you do know someone, that is. :)