Random Thoughts, I Think *giggle*

My last post was a lot of fun to write, so I thought I'd do another one before I lay down on the couch and fall asleep. I tell ya, going back to work is really going to cut into my slacker schedule. *giggle*

1. I have a new favorite phrase around my house: "Jay, do you want to go for a walk?" HE GOES NUTS. It's probably the cutest thing I've seen all week. I'll admit, it has motivated me off the couch. However, I have also found that I walk better all the time if I exercise or walk often. It has been a gift from God, and I'm not even kidding. I feel better than I have physically since I moved here. Yeah, I'd like to shed a few pounds, but that's not even my motivation. This won't surprise you: I'm in training for CAMP. Out at camp, I walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, and walk. The past three or four years I have done it, but I've been VERY out of shape. This year I'm already preparing, and it's making a difference. All because of a little guy named Jay. He's been such a blessing in so many ways!!! Please note though, if you come over, don't say "Jay, do you want to go for a walk?" unless you're prepared to do just that! *grin*

2. I can now honestly say, I miss the kids at school. Yup, I'll be ready to be back at work Monday. Getting up at 8am tomorrow will be a good way to prepare for the 6:30am wake up on Monday. I'm not surprised, as I typically want to see the kids toward the end of each break. *grin* I think that is just even more confirmation that I LOVE my job.

3. How is it already March 21? Seriously? Didn't we just enter in the New Year? It's all going by SO fast. *grin*

4. It's officially SPRING. Ohmygoodness that makes me smile! *grin*

5. I've watched a few March Madness basketball games. At one point I was in first place in our family pool. Now I'm in second. Ah well, glad it was a small amount of money. *grin* Today was not a good day for my teams on my bracket. Ah well, it was fun. *grin*

6. I had a student tell me the Friday before break that I say "Oh My Goodness" a lot. I didn't even realize it. Over the break, I have said it a lot. Weird. *giggle*

7. I'm almost done with the work I had wanted to get done over break. I put in quite a few hours, but it will be worth it as we dive into the next work week. It will be a CRAZY busy week. *grin* It feels good to be done with what is done. I'll do more tomorrow and be in a really good place going into Monday. *grin* I like that!

8. I've been deep in thought this week about the skin we're in. I have written about this several times, but I have just thought about it as I've watched the tournament this weekend. There are people called to do things for seasons and then move on to other things in other seasons. I think part of it is because I am getting older, and I notice things from an older/wiser perspective (and I mean that in the most humble way ;-)). I have thought a lot about how hard these athletes have worked to get to where they are today. This year they have added commercials with former college and NBA players. Some of them I recognized, and some of them I did not. I'll refrain from telling you who I knew and who I didn't. I don't want to give you that kind of information. *giggle* However, it led to a thought I've been pondering, and am still pondering. I am a teacher, and LOVE my job, but the world isn't going to know me like they know those ball players. (I'll save my soapbox post for a different day about that.) My point is: even though I am not famous in front of people, I am still touching generations by teaching in my classroom. I LOVE THAT. Tonight I was doing things for my students and I was thinking, "I remember when that student couldn't do that, now look at where he is at!" That's the thing about teaching SPED, sometimes I see the growth when I least expect it. I have several students that I plan on showing them how far they've come on Monday. Sure, they're young people now, but one day it will be their kids, and their kids' kids that are better off because of what I did for them. No, they will never know that, but that's fine. In God's eyes, he knows. That's why He made me. The more I've pondered that, the more I've liked it. Kinda cool.

9. I'm not so sure it's a great idea to have so much technology at my fingertips. Seriously. The ability to upload the new PASSION, EVEN SO COME album, and the newest Big Nate book without leaving my couch is slightly dangerous. I'm slightly kidding and slightly serious. I guess it's good I have a dog at the moment. I'm good with my finances, so it's not like I spent money I didn't have, but I must chuckle. Spending money is easier now than ever before, and I don't even have to leave my house. *grin* Praise God I am a good saver! *giggle*

10. I have to set an alarm tomorrow. I mean, I will have fun doing church stuff, but really, all these days of being in PJ's until noon or later have been fun too.

I think I'll go read now. I'm almost ready for the new Christine Caine book I got! *giggle*

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME.

Deep Thoughts....Or Perhaps Just Random Thoughts Spring Break 2015

I had a rather deep post last time. Now I have some (possibly) not so deep thoughts.... Let's see where this takes us:

1. I love not having to set an alarm. This has been an unexpected gift of Spring Break. I don't sleep in later than 9am, but it has just been fun sleeping until I wake up. *grin*

2. I have actually done school work each afternoon. I have mixed feelings in this area, so I guess I will simply say that I know in the long run (meaning next week) I will be glad I worked this week. *grin*

3. I've been in prayer a lot here at home, as I've learned of a few friends who have recently lost loved ones. Sometimes that makes me ache for Heaven, where separation of loved ones is a thing of the past. *grin*

4. I was able to chat via FB with a person I got kind of close to last Summer at camp. I won't be able to serve during that week this coming summer, as they are full of volunteers that week. However, I plan to email and see if I can come down for a party one night. Connecting with that young adult was one of the highlights of my day today. *grin*

5. March Madness starts tomorrow (Thursday). I'M SO EXCITED. *giggle*

6. Jay has been a blessing this week. We've had moments where I have sent him to his recliner (he thinks it's his) because he's in my face so much, but he's still my favorite furry kid. *grin*

7. I'm usually at work during the day, so I'm learning the routine of day time TV. Today I got hooked on, "I (almost) got away with it." I can't even describe why I was fascinated by it, I just liked it. Weird. *grin*

8. I've read three books and started another one. That might be my favorite part of the entire break. Nah, March Madness will probably be my favorite.

9. I message a good friend in Joplin quite a bit via Words With Friends (WWF). She beats me all the time, but I don't care. We swap TV shows, books, movies, and games. It's like I never left. *grin* She retired so, we've both enjoyed the time this week.

10. I have often thought to myself this week about cable TV. I know, I know, some people refuse to even have a TV. Meanwhile, I'm in awe of how far we've come. I remember living in Seminole, Oklahoma in third grade and I got my first black and white TV. I had 13 channels. And, you had to turn a dial. No remote. Meanwhile, today I basically have a computer to navigate through a gazillion channels. Okay, not a gazillion, but it is a little crazy how far we've come. Then I had another crazy thought: I'm now old enough to be able to see something like that evolve. Who knows what the next 5 years have in store for us? I'm sure there will be more good and bad shows to choose from, but honestly, we've come a long way. Kinda cool. *grin*

11. I am SO GLAD I grew up before the world of the internet. I've heard various stories of cyber-bullying lately. That opens a whole other dimension to the world of kids. I still see the impact of being bullied due to the limp (it happened, I'm stronger because of it, life goes on) and how I can use that for good in my classroom. HOWEVER, I could go home and get away from mean people. It makes me pause and think what my world would have been like if the internet had been around. God clearly knew, as that wasn't in my journey of life this side of Heaven. For that I am thankful. *grin*

12. I spoke at MSSU last week and LOVED it. I've spoken there for years, once per semester, to the teacher interns. It's fun teaching college kids for an hour, basically. It is always cool to share my life story to help others in their teaching journey. *grin*

13. I enjoyed seeing friends after I spoke at MSSU in Joplin on Monday of last week. We had an impromptu reunion of school teachers at Starbucks. It was really a neat encounter. *grin*

14. Spring Break is making me long for Summer Break. Camp. Outdoors. Walking Jay daily. Of course it's raining today and cold. Ah, well, it will be here before I know it. *grin*

15. I'm watching a Catfish Marathon as I type this. It amazes me low people view themselves at times. It breaks my heart. Seriously...

16. I have a headache. Again. Please pray. I need to drink more water. *grin*

17. I baked cookies yesterday. The interesting part of it all is that I have to eat them all too. Darn. *grin*

18. Jay is upstairs at the moment. I'm okay with that. *grin*

19. I wonder if my students are missing me. I'm not missing them. Yet. *grin* Give me until Friday. I predict I'm ready to go back to work by Monday. *giggle*

20. I'm not sure how fired up I am about the iWatch. I mean, I love my iPhone, but an iWatch? That's weird. *grin*

21. I am glad I am alive in this day and age. I like that I can keep up with friends of the past on FB. Some of my dearest friends have grown into amazing adults with adorable kids. That makes me smile. *grin*

22. I found out someone else I know recently died of Cancer. I hate Cancer. Period. I pray that one of my students grows up to find a cure for it. Seriously. I think that big for my kids.

23. I miss a student who moved in February. At that same time, I hear he's doing well. That makes me incredibly happy! *grin*

24. I hear a book calling my name, so I guess I'm about done here.

25. Go JAYHAWKS. However, this has been the most FRUSTRATING year for me to cheer on my team. They get behind every game and I want to throw things at the TV. I don't though, because my TV is nice. However, I may jump on the KY or Duke bandwagon. Stay tuned.

26. One week from Friday I will meet Chris Tomlin, one of my favorite worship leaders of my generation. I cannot wait. *grin*

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME.

Lessons in Criticism

I've got about 3 different posts running around in my head. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to land on the end of this post, but I really want to write today. I'm loving this Spring Break gig. *grin* So, here goes... *grin*

The Lord and I have been talking about a lot these days. Not because anything is wrong, just because there's a lot on my mind. Some things are between me and the Lord. Some things I think are okay to share. Today, I feel like I want to share.

I am a blessed gal. In my third year of teaching, the Lord brought a friend into my life that made an impact in ways she will never know. I was a healthy gal when it came to friendships, and didn't have experience with drama. Even in college, I was the RA that watched some drama, but never participated. It all seemed stupid to me. To this day it still seems stupid. I'm more of a loyal, honest friend. If there are things that aren't of the Lord, it remains a thought bubble. *grin*

So, when I was in my first couple years of teaching, and I overheard some adults talking about someone else behind their back, I was amazed. I thought that was stuff kids did. Not adults. So, I told Teacherfriend about it, (who is a little older than me) and she said, "Yeah. People talk. That's just what happens. Yeah, they'll probably talk about you or me at some point. Doesn't matter. You can't let those people get to you." Little did I know that one conversation would help me throughout my life. *grin*

I seriously doubt Teacherfriend realizes how that changed my life. I'm not insecure, wondering what people are saying about me behind my back. People talk. I don't talk poorly about others to others, but if people talk poorly about me, well, that's their choice. Life's too short to worry about what others are saying. *grin* My heart always breaks when people get stuck there, like they can prevent it or something. It's part of life this side of Heaven, it's our reaction that shapes our character. *grin*

At the same time, I've been deep in thought. Let me explain...

Lately, the church I attend here in KC has been under some criticism in the public eye. I've gone back and forth on the entire thing. On one hand, I think that some people have had a negative experience with my church, it ended poorly, and they are just talking (or writing on blogs) about their experience. I have had one main thought on it, "That's their story, but it's not the only story out there..." At the same time, I think about how my church has brought me closer to Jesus. I am so happy living here in the KC Metro, which includes being close to the Prayer Room. I did notice out of the three (and I'm sure there are plenty more, I just didn't want to waste my time with such negativity) posts I read, not one word was mentioned about the Prayer Room. Which makes sense, as it's simply a room where the Lord is worshipped. *grin* I will also admit, that friendships can be difficult to cultivate at my church, (sometimes) so the Lord has opened a door at a local one here that I like. See, my church isn't perfect, but there isn't a perfect church. Period. Trust me, I've tried to find one over the years. *grin* Perhaps one day I'll share my story of how the Prayer Room and my church changed my life. It's a VERY positive story. *grin* So often one side gets told, without the other side being seen or told. *grin* Which is fine, sometimes it's best to let things go. Life's too short to be stuck.

Once again, it all comes back to perspective. *grin*

In pondering the whole church thing, the Lord reminded me a real case example of this in my own life. In the past, there have been judgements made about me and my classroom. Some people walk in and see my students in their "free choice" time, and think that's all we do. My para and I say it all the time, "You don't get it unless you're in my room." The part most people miss out on seeing is the meltdown that lasted an hour to get the work done to get the free choice. Or the students that act like their work is a HUGE mountain and will do all they can to avoid it, when in reality it wouldn't take that long if they would just focus and do the work. (I tell them all the time they need to grow up and become actors because some of them have great acting skills!) *grin* Seriously, I can't make this stuff up. Criticism occurs, but I don't let it get me down, because I KNOW what I'm doing is right and some people simply don't see the entire picture. They simply see one side of my classroom. What they don't always see are the kids learning on a daily basis, meeting goals, and having fun somewhere along the way. So let others see the free choice, or perhaps talk to others about me and my teaching style. Life's too short to worry about it. *grin* It's all about perspective... *grin*

One of my favorite songs right now is "It Is Well" off the Bethel Album, YOU MAKE ME BRAVE. In it, it states:

Through it all, my eyes are on You.

I believe that is the key for me. It may be something else for you, but for me it's key.

If my eyes are on Him, nothing else will matter. *grin*

Criticism will happen again in my future, I know it. But with Him, my perspective will be where it needs to be.

What about you? Will you be a critic or choose to see the best in situations around you?

You never know, your next conversation may just be life-changing for someone.

Teacherfriend will never know how that one chat changed mine. *grin*

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME.

Spring Break Eve

On my last post, I wrote about snow. I wanted one more snow day. Since then, my tune has changed.

It has gotten warmer, and now I'm ready for Spring! *grin*

I am walking more and enjoying being able to be outside without my leg tensing up! I LOVE IT! *grin*

I sit here on the night before Spring Break, and I am ready to rest a bit. Sleeping in sounds AWESOME. *grin*

Nothing's wrong.

Plenty of highlights in my nightly journal. *grin*

I'm just excited because Spring is almost here!

*grin*
LIFE.
IS.
AWESOME!