Choose your thoughts like you choose your clothes

Last night was long, and very eventful for me! I slept for a total of maybe 3 hours (most of those being during the news this morning) but I did have some time last night to watch some things that I've had recorded on my DVR since we joined Direct TV (roughly 2010). One of those things was Eat Pray Love. Now, I am not a movie critic, and honestly everything seems much better as you ponder the great questions of life at 3am, but I really thought it was a pretty good movie. I know that there are plenty of critics, but it did have Julia Roberts in it, and I like her movies just because of her. I guess being sick has caught up with me (I couldn't lay down flat without coughing) but I think there have been other stressers on me such as the possibility of buying a new house, my baby going to kindergarten, having a baby (no I'm not pregnant) but if you know me just the possibility of the thought of possibly having another baby is a large step for me! And moving schools after feeling so comfortable where I am have all taken their tole on me! Anyway, there were a few things that I took away from this movie: 1. Choose your thoughts like you choose your clothes....now, in the daylight that thought doesn't have quite the same ring to it, but I still feel like it's pretty powerful, especially here in these next few months! Be specific in what you think, think positively, push out the negative 2. You want to get to the castle without going through the moat. Odd, but when you think about it, it's trying to get to the goal without going through the process, earning the prize without working to get there. Remember the first thing you bought with your own money? I do, it was a princess Barbie with a green gown, gold trim and a tiara and wand to match as well as shoes. It cost 11.99 and I had to save up almost 3 months which meant  cleaning toilets, mirrors, kitchen sinks and dusting the entire house to earn that money. When she was finally mine, nobody played with her, and nothing happened to her. I learned a valuable lesson there (shhh don't let my mom know!) that the prize with the work is so much more rewarding. As I pray and in my devotional time I feel like it all comes back to that, there isn't a "magical formula" man, we all wish there was! But as we swim across that moat to get to the castle we get stronger, (true, wetter as well and more uncomfortable) but we are more successful when we reach the castle. We shouldn't settle into complacency because it's comfortable, God doesn't want us to be comfortable, He wants us to be productive. And sadly sometimes for us, being productive is often times being uncomfortable. On a completely different note Parker had his first T-ball game of the season last night! They did great!

New Changes, Once again!

My "Baby" boy! 

As this school year came to an end it was bittersweet. I was put on the surplus list in early February so I was forced to make a move. Apparently I am EXACTLY where I am suppose to be, because I dug my heels into the ground and tried to force my way somewhere else.  This is how for sure I know God has amazing things for me at this new location, it however doesn't make it any easier to move on! After a year and a half at Wester Elementary and making so many new friends I am moving to McWhorter Elementary to teach 3rd grade science and social studies! Like I said, I am happy in a way, but sometimes it's really hard to see what God has in store, and though I am excited I am also nervous! Parker has also moved from preschool to Kindergarten, and he is SO excited! We are more involved in church than ever! We started a college ministry at Generations and we have it in our home on Monday nights, it too has forced me to grow. The college kids are so amazing and we've been really really blessed with a great first group to start with! This is a few of them playing "chicken" yes, no one was injured in the making of this photo :)

My best friend from elementary and high school has also moved back, and although it's not ideal circumstances we sure are happy to have her back! So, I know that I've promised that I would keep up better with this thing, and I really will try! It's hard to do, especially since things have been so crazy, but it's also hard to read other people's blogs and see my life better documented than on my own blog :) So, I WILL try! Here's to summer, swimming, T-Ball and lots of lemonade!

Reflections and catching ups

As I look at all of my friends and their wonderful posts I realize it has now been over a year since I wrote anything! Oops, time flys what can I say! I am now very happily the 4th and 5th grade Social studies teacher, it has been amazing and challenging at the same time! But I must admit I am much better suited for this than Math!
My baby boy is now in Pre-School at a real big kids school (YIKES!) and he is loving it! He comes home with new words everyday such as, predicament, concentration and perplexed. Pretty big vocab words for pre-school if you ask me! :) We had a wonderful summer and P and I enjoyed me not being in school (at all) how weird is that? This was the first summer we've been able to just hang out ALL day and not worry about anything! So, that is pretty much it, Gordy is still in the same job and loving it. I am happy to report our marriage (after 8 years) is still going strong and is (it seems odd sometimes) even better than when we first got married!
So, if this works correctly here are some pictures from this summer! Parker's Tball
Last years 4th grade team!

Amazing!

As my last summer as a college student begins to wind down I feel a little bit of anxiety! I start student teaching in one week and I am not sure what to expect, although I am excited as well as nervous. I am student teaching at Evans and Hutch, awesome!! I can't wait to get out there and meet my teachers and kiddos, and to finally graduate! It is hard to believe that in this short amount of time I will be moving from being a Tech student to a teacher (and hopefully, God willing) getting a job in January). It's amazing to see how God works, and how, despite what I think, He is in complete control of everything. I never thought I would be so happy being a teacher, but I have to say I am pretty excited about this! Also, we got a new car, after much prayer, tears and wondering what we were going to do. My little blue car that got me through junior college and most of Tech decided to quite working for me (blown engines will do that) and so we had to find something else! God is amazing and with the help of Hayes motors (they're AWESOME!!) We found a Buick Rendezvous with 3 row seating even! God took an amazingly sticky situation that seemed to have no hope into something better than anyone could have expected, and He gave me a car that I actually wanted! Just thought I'd post how amazing our summer has been even though it started off a bit rocky!

2010

As the new year flings into full speed and I am caught running with my shoes untied it seems, I thought I would sit down for a minute and catch a few ideas I have for this year.
1. Grow, in God, relationships and my marriage
2. GRADUATE!! I only have 1 more semester as a Tech student and then I student teach, I feel like December can not get here fast enough!
3. COMPLETELY potty train Parker. Last year we started, had it down for a few months, and now we are back to almost square 1...depending on what day and moment it is.
4. Become more organized...mainly in the house, but in school life as well. After all being a teacher is going to require me to become more organized!
5. Become an AWESOME teacher! I am SOO excited to begin my career (not only for monetary gain all though this is a great incentive since 2009 was a bit financially stressful) but to begin what I know I have been made for. This is my dream and my passion and God is SO good to allow me the opportunity to be where I am at!
Here is where I am going to copy and paste an amazing quote that Amanda has on her blog, although oddly enough I came across this quote when I started this education adventure and it hangs on my office wall!
"I've come to the frightening conclusion that I am the decisive element in the classroom. It's my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess a tremendous power to make a child's life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or de-humanized."

Dr. Haim Ginott
I feel that this sums up so much of what we've learned so far and my prayer for my classroom is that God helps me to remember this and not only to practice it everyday in my classroom but everyday at home as well. There is 1 thing that I have learned being Parker's mommy is that my mood affects him regardless of what is going on.
6. My final goal for this year is to be a better Mommy, more patient and understanding. Usually when Parker does something he has good reasoning (or at least at the moment it seemed good to him) and I want to learn to see that. 2009 was very stressful, at times hard and all at the same time it went by really fast!
I want to see things for how they are, learn to love the moment and even though this one will be really hard, enjoy the day and not look forward to or dread the next day!

water or rocks? Both please!

I was recently asked if I would rater be a rock or water. Of course me being the way I am I immediately yelled out "A rock!". With a look of not quite disapproval my teacher calmly looked at me and said, "Tell me why you choose that." I replied that a rock is strong, dependable and mostly unchanging." She smiled and replied "yes that is true, now tell me about water." I said well "Water flows, and is never still." She smiled again and said "Very true." Then she began to tell a story, a story about water and rocks. While the rocks sit in one place and are unmoving, they are indeed constant but they are slowly being changed by the water. A rock is hard and unwilling to move, but none the less the water calmly, patiently and quietly changes the rock, most of the time without the rock ever knowing it is being changed. After she read the story with the grand canyon of course being the main example I quietly smiled at her and when she asked me what I'd rather be I replied "the water." "Good choice" she said as she smiled at me. Then I said "and the rock as well." She looked at my with a question on her face, clearly not expecting this answer. She said "Go on." And I told her that I would rather be the rock at times and the water other times. There are some times in our lives where we need to be a rock because a rock in the river is not taken into the current with all of the debris and garbage. A rock is strong and sturdy, never faltering in what it believes in or thinks. Now the water is good to be at times because it is better to do and lead by example than to try and make someone change. Now my teacher is not a Christan and she has voiced many times that Christianity is not allowed in the classroom, but I find this idea interesting because is this not a Biblical principle? Did Christ not lead by example as the water, quietly changing people's hearts and minds. He was also the rock however, because he refused to be swept down the river with the debris the water carried along with it. I love the analogy of water and rocks, but I want to be both, not one or the other.

observations of kids

I have been in the public schools now for 2 weeks observing. First observation: kids are crazy Second observation: kids will make you crazy if you let them. Third observation: kids are like sharks, they smell fear. SO DON'T be afraid of them, encourage them, help them develop and always remember SMILE! Remember today's choices are tomorrow's consequences! Love to all, I've had the busiest craziest and downright nuttiest day I think ever! Someday I might blog more, but this is just a list of my small observations. Too bad I can't write than in my formal portfolio for class!