A Busy Week

I was spending time with the Lord this morning when it hit me--this has been a wonderfully eventful week. God has blessed me with some very enjoyable time with my family, I've met some new and incredibly nice people and have run the full gamet of emotions during this time as well. So indulge me as I reflect on this week at length.

Sunday started with a God-saturated time of worship. I love Midland Free so much--rarely am I able to walk away from worship without having encountered our living God and enjoyed such sweet fellowship with the believers there as well. Pastor Jay's sermon on spiritual gifts was yet another reminder of how far God has brought be during this academic year (and how much He has worked through my mentor Bev to bring me to this point)...and also how far I have yet to go. :-) I still am not entirely certain about my spiritual gifts, but I did experience this year while serving in Chidren's Ministries that "joyful exhaustion" that Pastor Jay mentioned. I loved serving in this capacity and I loved how it so greatly affected my week as well. I was continually ruminating on our lesson for the children and God would bring many of them to my mind to pray for. I couldn't wait to see their little faces on Sunday morning and to help in teaching them God's Word, whether in play or in the craft or in the little activities after teaching time. I miss the kids so much and I know I want to be involved in Children's Ministries in whatever church I end up at next year.

Then after church Ciaran and I took my fifteen-year-old-cousin Katelen driving. She's just learning to drive (just got her pink slip!) and since Ciaran spent the better part of the past winter and spring learning how to be a driver's training instructor, we had a blast having her drive around Heritage's driving course and around Ciaran's neighborhoods. Katelen is a great driver and Ciaran of course is a great instructor. Katelen also got to meet Ciaran's parents and a couple of his siblings and then we took her out to dinner and back to my house for the rest of the night. It was so great to be able to sit around with her and talk and watch movies and just hang out; it's been a long time since we had extended time with her together. And she's grown up so much, she was just eight years old when she first met Ciaran...and now she's driving! Does time fly or what?!!!

The beginning of the week also included Ciaran and I going with my cousin Adam out to Delta College (Ciaran knows a number of people out there in admissions). Adam got so much done that morning (testing, meeting with an academic advisor and financial aid...all in just a few hours) and then of course we enjoyed a nice lunch with him. Adam's getting into the computer science field and it was SO much fun to spend time talking with him about that and just hanging out with him. But before we went out to Delta (just shortly after Ciaran pulled into the driveway to pick me up) a huge semi pulled up in front of our house. The moving van had arrived for Carter's stuff. As soon as Ciaran and I left my house, I burst into tears. I had been SO excited for Carter up until that point, but I don't know, it was as if the full realization of what was coming hit me full force over the head. My brother is moving to California!

Then also during the beginning of the week, Ciaran and I trekked to the west side of the state to go visit his new school (he had a meeting with the athletic director) and then we went and looked at apartments. Ciaran starts coaching on the 11th which is coming up pretty soon. We had a blast exploring the area and as for the school he will be teaching at...wow! The school he taught at out in New Hampshire was phenomenal (think small New England college campus...at least that's what it felt like) and obviously this new one can't compete with that, but it IS incredibly beautiful. Brand new building (they've only been in it since 2005) and it is huge! It's a class A school, but it still seems enormous!

Now on to the middle of the week: my first official teaching interview. This took place outside of Lansing and although I was pretty nervous the night before, the day of the actual interview I felt incredibly calm and just generally excited (all by God's grace of course). The interview itself was so much fun. They asked really insightful questions and posed quite a few challenging scenarios, but come on, two hours where all I talk about is teaching is right up my alley. I didn't want it to end. It was such a positive experience for my first teaching interview. I can't wait for the next one!

And now for the end of the week: Carter is winging his way to California right now. I cried and cried and cried. I promised myself I wouldn't cry in front of him, but of course, as he started finalizing things this morning I started getting all choked up and when we hugged good-bye right before he left, I completely lost it. You'd think I'd be better at goodbye's by now (after all those Ciaran and I had to go through), but I'm not. But I'm excited for Carter, this is such an awesome opportunity and he's going to have so many cool experiences traveling the world with this job. This is a good thing. But it's still sad right now. All right, Ciaran's on his way over to cheer me up (we're going to hit a few golf balls out in the field...that's right, Ciaran's teaching me how to golf--I'm HORRIBLE, but it's still pretty fun to laugh at how horrible I am).

Offline for the Next Few Days

Instead of e-mailing everyone, I decided to just post this here. After a couple weeks of computer problems, we've finally decided to have our computer reformatted. So for the next 3-5 days, I will not have access to my computer. Just didn't want anyone to think I was ignoring their e-mails. Hope everyone's having a great week!

Currently Reading

I've been meaning to write a book post for quite a few weeks. After all, it is summer now and summer is always when I catch up on reading. So here it is, the books I am currently reading. Feel free to click on my Shelfari bookshelf (it's on the left, below my blog archive) to see others that I am reading or have just read (and even plan to read soon).

1. The Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney
-I love this book SO much. Ciaran and I are reading it as a devotional (we should finish it sometime in August). This book has forced me to really pause and savor and contemplate the cross. It is helping to draw me deeper and deeper in my relationship with Christ. I read one section each morning with my Bible reading and I find myself pausing throughout my day to worship Christ as I consider what I have read. I never want to "move on from the cross, only into a more profound understanding of the cross" (Mahaney 17). And this book is helping me to do just that. Ciaran and I are loving this book and we heartily recommend it to anyone who longs to live more fully "the cross-centered life."

2. Middlemarch by George Eliot
-Yes, I graduated from college with a B.A. in Literature and never read this classic. Of course I read excerpts and was reminded over and over again by professors and classmates alike that I need to make reading this book a priority, but alas I never got around to it. I had been told that Eliot was phenomenal and that I would find her characters absolutely fascinating, but unfortunately she has always been bypassed by me up until now. I've just started this novel, so maybe I'll post again about this book in the weeks to come.

3. The Blithedale Romance by Nathaniel Hawthorne
-Another so-called "classic" which I usually only read one at a time, but a recent visit to the library with my cousin Katelen prompted me to add this one to my current reading list as well. I loved The Scarlet Letter and this was also another recommendation from lit. classmates.

4. Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol
-This was hailed a "must-read" for policy makers and since I eventually want to work in the field of education policy I decided to pick this one up. I usually read this one at bedtime and usually end up in tears. Kozol writes about the poorest congressional district in the U.S. and what is happening to our children there. Horrifying and it makes me want to pack up my bags and go help in anyway I can. I think this a must read for all Americans, not just policy makers. Welcome to the United States of America.

5. The Shape of Sola Scriptura by Keith A. Mathison
The doctrine of sola Scriptura, that's what this whole book is about. Need I say more?! I am gobbling this book up. This book takes you through the historical context, scriptural backing, the theological necessity of this doctrine, etc. I love, love, love this book! I can't believe it's been on our bookshelf for over three years and I never read it!!! My mom received it as a gift from some Bible study friends and I plucked it up as soon as I discovered it...and I haven't been able to put it down since. :-)

6. The Cross of Christ by John R.W. Stott
I wish I could say that I'm gobbing this one up too, but unfortunately it hasn't received a lot of face time and I'm still only on page 34. It's a theologically rich book and I can't wait to devote more time to it, but I just haven't gotten to it lately.

7. When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage by Dave Harvey
A book recommendation I picked up off of the Radical Womanhood blog. Carolyn McCulley says that, "you don't need to be married to learn from this book how to live redemptively in close relationships." And wow is she right! So far, it's been a challenging and convicting and simultaneously uplifting read as it's pointed me Godward, to the author and perfecter of my faith!!! This will be a book I'll read over and over again.

8. 35 Classroom Management Strategies: Promoting Learning and Building Community by Adrienne L. Herrell and Michael Jordan
Interlibrary loaned this for one of my fun, teaching books to peruse this summer. So far it's a good read, haven't found anything earth-shattering and new, but I'm only a few strategies into it. So we'll have to see.

And that rounds out eight of my current reads. You can click on my Shelfari bookshelf to find more, if you are so inclined. Enjoy your evening.

Oh and Ciaran comes home very late tomorrow night! I'm beyond giddy right now. I can't believe I was able to concentrate long enough to write this rather lengthy post. :-) Pray for him as he travels all day tomorrow!

Kidney Stone Update: Surgery Scheduled

I'm sorry to all of you who have e-mailed me in the last few days and I haven't responded. I've been pretty sick with kidney stones. I met with my urologist yesterday and now the next step in this wonderful journey with kidney stones is to have surgery. My surgery is scheduled for next Wednesday, the 18th. I'm praying I pass the little bugger on my own though between now and then. :-) Hope everyone's having a great week!!!

Euro 2008 online

Quick update because I want to get back to watching the game, but I just realized that ESPN360.com will be showing the games live as well, so for those of us that can't get to a TV at some point during the 23 game days, we can watch it online as well. :-) Enjoy the games!

16 Teams. 23 Days!

That's right, it's time for Euro 2008 (finally!). I've only been waiting for this moment since the close of World Cup in 2006! The only trace of sadness that is marring this glorious event for me is the fact that England isn't competing. But life goes on and the games begin in just about an hour and a half. If (horror of horrors) you've never heard of the UEFA European Championship, just click on the links below and enjoy your reading...or better yet, tune in to ESPN Classic at noon or 2:45 today and enjoy the fun with me!

Official Site

ESPN's site

Kidney Stone Update

So it was back to the hospital for me yesterday. I woke up to intense pain in my right side again; this time the pain was so intense it made me sweat right through my pajamas. I army-crawled (there was no way I was walking in this state) to the living room to find the phone, called my mom at work (no answer), then quickly dialed my grandmother's number. Poor grandma, I didn't even identify myself but just blurted out something along the lines of "need help, come quickly." Then the nausea hit and I (even more slowly now) army-crawled to the bathroom. A lovely time in the bathroom followed and my grandmother arrived (she's had kidney stones before so she completely understood what I was going through). My mom arrived shortly after because while my grandmother was on the way over the nausea became so intense that I knew it was time for me to go the hospital and I left a message for her at work. I know they consulted on what to do at this time, though I was pretty out of it. And I remember my grandma calling my urologist's office and taking care of a bunch of other stuff for us, but I don't remember all of the details.

At the hospital, I was quickly given an IV with lots and lots of fluids, and the normal amounts of Zofran, Fennegrin, Toradol and Dilaudid (probably slaughtering the spelling of these meds). Within a couple hours my nausea had abated, my dehydrated body was properly hydrated once again and about four hours after we arrived, I was allowed to go home with even more intense pain meds and more anti-nausea. For the record Vicodin barely even touches the pain of kidney stones. It's laughable really. So my new stuff consists of "extra-strength Vicodin" piggybacked with Toradol two hours after I take the Vicodin. We'll see how this stuff works once my stone starts its trek again, right now its not moving much so I'm feeling little pain (thus not taking those meds). And my meds for an infection that has set in (this also occurs EVERY time I get kidney stones) just makes me feel so comfortably sleepy that today has been a quite lovely day, which basically means I've slept most of it away up until now.

All right, back to the recliner in the living room I go. I watched the movie 27 Dresses with my mom, Aunt Martha and cousin Katelen last night. Very cute. I think I'm going to go watch it again. :-)

The World of Finances

Now that I'm done with my teacher certification program and embarking on the official journey to my new career in the world of education (Lord willing of course...if I can FIND a job in my area of certification here in Michigan), I've begun to really delve into researching financial planning. After all, I definitely want to make my teacher salary stretch as far as possible. Armed with my new budget courtesy of YNAB (thanks Jen for pointing me to this system and software!), and some really God-centered, biblical books/resources (more to come on this in another post) and the fun that has come from praying and playing with the YNAB system, I've really started to enjoy reading financial blogs in my spare time too.

Here are just a few of my current favorites:

Get Rich Slowly

The Simple Dollar

YNAB Blog (I actually don't go to this one that much because I have the e-book and I've taken the YNAB free e-course, but I had to list this because the software and e-course are so phenomenal.)

And once again I've run out of time to post. Enjoy your night!

Somewhat Clear-Headed

I'm somewhat clear-headed for the moment, so I decided now would be a good time to post to my blog. I STILL haven't passed my kidney stone and today was the second worst day of pain I've had so far with this silly little thing. Thankfully I still have Zofran and Vicodin on hand and was able to medicate myself enough to get through this rough patch without having to accrue another hefty hospital bill. My cousin Katelen came over and kept me company today too, so that made an otherwise frustrating and unbearable day quite pleasant. Pray for me. I'm so ready for this whole ordeal to be over. I'm exhausted!

In other news, it's now official--my brother is moving to California in July! He's so excited and he and my mom enjoyed a few hours working in his bedroom this afternoon, cleaning stuff out and starting to plan what's going to go and what's going to stay. I'm so excited for him!!! It's so great to know that he's found a job he can get really excited about. What an answer to prayer. Well, it's starting to thunder and lightning outside, so I had better end here. Enjoy your night!

Reader Beware: The Shack by William P. Young

Christians are really getting caught up in ideas espoused in a book entitled The Shack by William P. Young. Although I haven't personally read it, I have been overwhelmed by noting the response to it in Christian circles and wowed by the mass number of reviews on Amazon. Since I haven't personally read it, I do not feel free to stand on my little soapbox and freely declare my opinions at length. But what I do want to do here is refer you to an excellent and comprehensive review of this book if you have read it, are considering reading it or have family or friends that are reading it. The PDF below is written by Tim Challies, a well-known and respected Christian and blogger. I've mentioned him before on this blog. Please, take the time in the next few weeks and read this document. It is definitely well worth the time. :-)

http://www.challies.com/media/The_Shack.pdf

Let The Mourning Begin

Champions League Final:

Manchester United won.
Chelsea lost.
Enough said. :-(

Let the grieving begin. (Congrats Ciaran...and all of you other Man. U fans out there.)

May Giveaway at Challies.com

The battle to pass this one last kidney stone rages on so unfortunately I don't have a lot of exciting news or personal thoughts to post about. But I do have a link here to a wonderful giveaway at Challies.com (one of the blogs I frequently view). Challies.com is giving away gift certificates to Monergism Books. Three to be exact. Click on the banner for more details (and give me a referral at the same time). :-)



For those of you who haven't heard about Monergism Books, check it out here. I love Monergism Books because of the quality Christian literature they keep in print, especially some of the older classics.

Hospital Visit

Friday I had to break down and go the ER to get relief from my newest bout with kidney stones...or rather a kidney stone that has been lodged up in there since 2006 or even before. Also, when I say "break down," I literally mean break down. I called my mom at work in tears about 9:30am begging her to come home because "it was a bad one." Within about twenty minutes I was lying in my bed in fetal position, white-knuckle grasping the bedsheets and wishing God would just end me right there. Then came the vomiting, at which time we began our preparations to head to the hospital. This routine, I have to admit, my mom has become quite good at. In a matter of moments, I was safely tucked in the backseat of her car, bucket on the floor, blanket wrapped snuggly around me as I violently shook and dry-heaved at the same time...a plastic bag was placed next to me with a water bottle, napkins, Kleenex, and gum (to get the puke taste out of my mouth should I need it). Cell phone in hand she made some necessary calls as she double-checked her purse for the notebook she keeps with my med. lists and prior kidney stones information that they always inevitably ask for in the ER at some point. She's a pro, what can I say.

The visit itself was quite nice. Aside from almost losing consciousness twice, vomiting so much that the dry heaves made me pull a muscle in my left side, and generally wishing my life would just end, I was whisked into my own little room at an incredibly brisk pace. The lovely nurse arrived quickly, joking about my ashen skin and lips and how they always know a kidney stone patient by our bent over position and pasty skin and lips, and I dazedly listened to her chatter as I willed her to get that IV into my arm as quickly as possibly. But alas, my veins wouldn't cooperate and after doing a number on my right arm, and then my left arm, we finally settled on my left hand and FINALLY my dear little friends came flowing steadily into my body. Friends with names such as Zofran, Toradol, Fenegrin and my new favorite...Dilaudid. In a matter of minutes, I went from going-out-of-my-mind pain and violently shaking from both pain and incredible coldness to this delightful warm, weighted sensation--I felt as if I was being wrapped in a warm, cozy, little cocoon.

And then there was the wonderful man who did my CT Scan. Through my medicated stupor he asked me where the pain was. "Pain," I slurred through my aforementioned medicated stupor. "What pain?" The nurse at my side laughed and asked where WAS the pain. Much better, I thought to myself. We must be accurate. I feel no pain. I quickly pointed to my right side to answer their question. The guy who did my CT Scan also chatted it up with me about his last bout with kidney stones and then told me about the grown men they get in the hospital sobbing like little babies and women with kids who say giving birth is nothing compared to the pain of kidney stones. I remember him saying these things, but once again, I'm in a medicated stupor, and all of this just amuses me. The pain is just a hazy memory now and I just want to be back in my little room with the warm blankets and sleep, sleep, sleep. Oh yes and keep the meds flowing through that IV for heavens sake!!!

And now, a few days later, I'm home and completely off both the Zofran and Vicodin they had me on for here at home. I still haven't passed the stone, but it's out of my kidney where it really causes pain and I'm trying to pass it on the lowest dosages of meds possible. I'm praying I get rid of it in the next two days...without going back on Vicodin. All right, I've run out of time to expand on my kidney stone narrative, so I'll end here for the night. :-)

FlyLady and Podrunner

Since this is my blog (i.e. my little soapbox), I’m going to rave about two new things that have me wowed right now. First is FlyLady. This system which I stumbled upon a couple months ago now has completely revolutionized my entire approach to housework. No more am I overwhelmed by a messy house and the daunting “to do” list that accompanies said messy house. I look forward to encouraging little e-mails every day that give me a “mission” to do around the house in ONLY 15 minutes. I love this! I can almost always carve 15 minutes out of my busy schedule to accomplish these fun little missions AND the best part is, I’m starting to see major results around my house. I absolutely LOVE this system so check it out at Flylady.net OR even better, check this book out, Sink Reflections. I checked it out at my local library, but I’m using it daily, so I may be purchasing this book in the near future.

And now on to the topic of Podrunner. Thanks to Jen and Shannon and their mission to run a 5K, I am now hooked on this as well. I’ve focused on keeping myself marginally in shape this winter (or so I thought) and so when Jen and Shannon were glowing about their new running regimen, I thought I would check it out. [Keep in mind, I am so not a runner.] I looked up the program online which is called Couch to 5K, wrote down the week one training schedule and set out yesterday on the road to running a 5K...eventually. A day later I am sooo sore! I thought I was in shape...apparently not. Then today Jen sent me the link to something called Podrunner. It is SO great! I downloaded the first two weeks onto my ipod and they sound like so much fun. Basically it's the C25K running program set to great music with audio cues for when to walk and when to run. The music tempo increases when your speed should be increasing. LOVE THIS! If you want to get in shape this summer, check out the website. I’ll be blogging about my progress in this area of interval training in the weeks to come, but I had to rave first about how cool these Podrunner downloads are first! Thanks Jen for sending me that link!

The Return of Wednesday Night Soccer

Ah, summer has arrived...er, not really, but Summer League Soccer has arrived. I look forward to this every year. Yet when Ciaran moved to New Hampshire, I was sure my viewing of Wednesday night summer soccer would be lost too. Enter Gerrard’s Kopites, and problem solved. Some guys from my church put together a team and so not only do I still get to watch fun summer soccer, but I get to enjoy watching it with a bunch of girls from my church as well. So as you can probably tell, last night was a blast! For the record though, I still miss watching you play, Ciaran!!! You and Carter are still my favorites to watch!

In other reflections, Ciaran and I just began reading C.J. Mahaney’s Living the Cross Centered Life. I’ve skimmed this book before, but Ciaran and I are reading through it slowly, really savoring and working at applying what C.J. Mahaney writes about. This has been such an awesome and convicting experience so far. For example, read my blog and what pops up the most...hmmm....Ciaran, soccer, teaching, etc. Does the gospel? When you read my blog to do you see Christ permeating the entries? Hmmm.... If someone were to read my blog or talk to me at length, what would they say I am most passionate about? Probably they would have a long list because let’s face it; I’m passionate about a TON of stuff. Yet Mahaney says,

“If there’s anything in life we should be passionate about, it’s the gospel. And I don’t mean passionate only about sharing it with others; I mean passionate in thinking about the gospel, reflecting upon it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world and all of life.”

Mahaney goes on to say,

“In the Scriptures we discover a profound urgency for focusing all we are and everything we do around the gospel of the cross. For not only does this good news come first chronologically in our Christian experience, but it stays foremost in critical importance for creating and sustaining our joy and our fruitfulness—a fact we too often overlook” (15).

Is my joy and fruitfulness in Christ waning? Here is the solution. The gospel needs to be my one supreme passion, the very center of my life in all I say and do.

Hmmm...lots of stuff to pray about and so I’m praying this day that God will change my heart so these words typify my life, “Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” -Galatians 6:14. Well, I’m now off to run errands for a bit with my cousin Katelen, she may find me a bit distracted as I meditate on these truths this late afternoon. :-)

The Job Search Has Begun!

Today marks my first official day of job searching. A wretched two weeks of passing three kidney stones kept me from beginning my job search in earnest and then another week of having Ciaran in town kept me occupied and determined to ignore the looming search that needed to take place. And then yesterday I allowed myself to wallow in misery and grieve Ciaran being back in New Hampshire, but after a refreshing evening with my mentor last night and a rousing morning of housework, I began the job search this afternoon in earnest.

So where will my job search take me?! Only the Lord knows the answer to that one. I will be applying for jobs this week in Wisconsin and Indiana and there's actually one in Michigan as well (the same school Ciaran interviewed at last week on the west side of the state...although that one is a high school position and my experience is at the middle school level--thanks for the lead though Ciaran!). Pray for me if you think of it, I'm excited about this process, but I know I need wisdom and a clear sense of God's leading as I navigate these waters in the months to come.

And now for a brief recap. of my enjoyable week with Ciaran. OK, I just wrote that and immediately started to feel sad so I'm going to keep this short. It was a wonderful week! I know I conveyed that in my last post, but words really can't do justice to how nice it was to spend time in person with Ciaran again. And Ciaran's uncle and aunt were in town from Ireland and I hadn't met them before, so I enjoyed some time getting to know them as well. Ciaran's family is so fun to be around and his Uncle John loves literature and I so enjoyed some time discussing Oliver Goldsmith's The Deserted Village (one of his favorites as well as my own) and James Joyce and a whole host of other Irish literary figures. I always enjoy discussing Irish literature with Dr. Byrne, but having his brother to discuss this with as well made for some immensely enjoyable hours. And then Ciaran's Aunt Beatrice (she's originally from Spain and has a beautiful Spanish accent) also is inclined toward literary pursuits and so all around I was able to bask in the joy of discussing literature at length with both of them. What a joy!

All right, I'm going to end here because thinking about my time with Ciaran is making me miss him more...and I have AT LEAST seven more weeks to go before I see him again. :-) Hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful evening...it's absolutely gorgeous here, I might even take Ben for a long walk before the night is over!

A Wonderful Week

Ah, where do I begin?! First, Ciaran is in town!!! It has been so amazingly wonderful to have him here. Talking on the phone, sending letters via snail mail and e-mail is all grand, but nothing beats being together in person. It's been a moment by moment reminder of the hundreds of reasons I have treasured our friendship so much over the past six years. So what have we been doing during this time...I'm so glad you asked...because it gives me a chance to "gloat" as Shannon commented in the previous post. First, Ciaran has had a few interviews so that's taken up some time because one of them involved traveling (I'll get to this one later). But let's first address some good ol' soccer because it's been a GREAT week for classic English football!

So on Sunday afternoon, Ciaran and I watched the Chelsea v. Man. U game (his brother, Paul, had recorded the Saturday game). My boys defeated his team, much to Ciaran's chagrin and now our teams are tied for first in the Prem. race...too fun! Nothing like some good healthy competition between the two of us. And while I'm on the topic of soccer, why don't we waltz over to the topic of Champions League Semi-Finals. So first, Man. U v. Barcelona...being the loving girlfriend that I am, I sucked it up and supported Man. U on Tuesday (partly because I was being said loving girlfriend, the other reason being I wanted an all English final in Moscow--ah the truth comes out doesn't it?! Hehe.) And thanks to Scholes (who moments before his amazing goal was delivered, Paul and Ciaran were fiercely critiquing his worth to Man U these days...too funny), Man U. is headed to the final in Moscow on May 21st! Then yesterday arrives, the moment of truth: Chelsea v. Liverpool!!! Ciaran being the loving boyfriend that he is supported Liverpool (they have a strong Irish population in Liverpool after all, but I think he was still nursing some wounds from Saturday's game). And yet, who is heading to Moscow on May 21st to go up against Manchester United?! Ah yes, that would be CHELSEA!!! When all is said and done though, I thought that was the best semi-final match I've seen in a long time. I was on the edge of my seat through the entire thing! I'm sorry Liverpool fans (Jen and Jared and Garrett and all the others that Jared has successfully marketed to his side that I don't know about yet). Your manager should never have taken out Torres, but alas he did and it was a brilliant day for my boys! OK, enough gloating. I've taken up too much space with soccer, but it's been an eventful week in the world of soccer and the best part has been Ciaran's in town to share it with! I've missed his brilliant commentaries so much!

Now to follow up with Ciaran's interviews that he has been blessed with this week...I'm not going to share too much about them since this is a public space and we don't know the outcomes yet, but I will share this. The interview he had this morning on the west side of the state was enjoyable, but the last question of his interview had to have been the BEST question I've ever heard about in a teaching interview. It went a little something like this[keep in mind this isn't a direct quote because Ciaran's not home yet to get the exact one from him...don't want to bother him while he's driving after all]...OK, here it is:

"Well, this will be the last question for today (insert pause here), and I have to know...what did you think of the Champions League semi-final yesterday?"

Hahahaha, that's right, I'm sorry, not to rub salt in an open wound to all you Liverpool fans out there, but come on, this is too priceless!!! Oh and I'm actually serious, the last question in Ciaran's interview today was exactly that. I guess the principal is a huge Liverpool fan and is pretty upset about why Rafa didn't put in certain players and why Torres was pulled out. But that is TOO PRICELESS, any attention drawn to the fact that Chelsea won is perfect for me. OK, I've run out of time to write, so I'll post more later about this wonderful week with Ciaran.

*Oh and sorry for all of the upsetting grammatical errors, I know they are there, I just don't have time to go back and edit. Just look at this post and really all of my other posts as stream of consciousness writing or a simple free write activity. :-) Enjoy your day!

Ciaran Countdown

Just over 30 more hours to go and then Ciaran will be in town for a week!!! Sorry, had to share my excitement with everyone!!! :-) We will have survived just four days short of four VERY LONG months apart. Yay!!!

Cabin Fever

I officially have cabin fever. The kidney stone pain keeps hitting me intermittently in intense waves, which makes outings away from home next to impossible. I don't know if I still have a kidney stone passing through, or if this pain is just due to the after effects of the inevitable damage a kidney stone brings to my inner body as it passes through. Either way, I'm frustrated. This week was supposed to be a week filled with fun substitute teaching experiences and lots of cleaning and catching up with all that has been let go for the past fifteen weeks because of student teaching. Grrr...I'm a bit grouchy can you tell?! :-) But when I step back and pray for a moment, I realize that I should view this time as a gift from the Lord, time to slow down after the hectic schedule I've kept and delight in Him during this extended quiet time I now have before me. It truly is a gift when I think about it from that perspective; I just wish this gift didn't have such intense waves of pain to accompany it. Hehe.

New ESV Study Bible!

I'm so excited! The long-awaited ESV Study Bible is set to come out in October!!! I can't wait! OK, whew, having gotten that off my chest, now for a little bit of a life update.

So my student teaching experience ended on Friday. I received lots of hugs and presents and the kids had created (with the help of the art department's student teacher) a banner for me and a bunch of the kids signed it and wrote little notes to me...so sweet! It was a memorable day and I managed to not cry too much. Then Saturday came. As I graded the kids papers, I found myself choking up at the oddest moments. About two hours into grading, and my sadness was reaching its peak, there was a knock at the door. I went to the door and there waiting for me was a flower delivery...a dozen pale pink roses to be exact...my absolute favorite flowers!!! Ciaran had so sweetly anticipated my Saturday let-down after student teaching ended and sent them to cheer me up. Ah Ciaran, you never cease to amaze me! The weekend wore on (more pleasantly with the beautiful roses to gaze at) and after roughly nine hours of grading my student's projects, papers, etc. , and entering grades into the system...my student teaching officially ended. I was feeling a little sad still and now had some rather annoying lower back pain to accompany my sadness, but other than that, I was ready for a new week and whatever that may bring.

And then Monday arrives...and with that some more rather intense pain...pain that made me drop to my knees crying! That's right...you know that rather annoying lower back pain I experienced all weekend??! That wasn't the result of being hunched over all weekend grading papers, it was actually the start of none other than...KIDNEY STONES! That's right, my mortal enemy, the dreaded of the dreaded, kidney stones. So with lots of prayer and lots of pain meds and a whole lot of water I managed (by God's grace) to pass this morning a kidney stone without going to the hospital for an IV! Woohoo!!! Praise God! I'm still pretty worn out from it, but hopefully that was the only stone and I will be getting back to my normal self soon! All right, that concludes my update for the evening. I hope everyone is having a great week! I sure am...now that the wretched little stone is out of me. :-)

Crying as I Grade Writing Journals

It's Sunday night and that means I'm grading papers in front of the TV. I just finished grading "Writing Journals" from last week. This is something I put off all weekend...not because they are tough to grade, but because I typically end up in tears and exhausted by the time I finish. And this week is no different. My kids' lives have been so tough, the things they have experienced are so far from my realm of knowledge and experience and it just tears me up to read about their experiences in foster homes, at the homeless shelter, living in cars, watching their siblings/family members/friends get shot in drive-bys or other violent acts, and then of course to read about the bullying that goes on. I inevitably every couple of weeks also have something I have to report to a social worker...those topics I cannot highlight here because of obvious reasons, but I do encounter those as well. As much as I am saddened by the fact that I am heading into my last week of student teaching, this emotional weekly ritual is one that I don't think I'm going to miss that much, although I will miss hearing my students' voices as I read; they have such amazing voices as writers and that has been a joy to experience and work with!

Oh and in other news, we found the owner of the stray dog I mentioned in my last post! He lives on another road not far from our house and is now safely returned to his owner. :-)

Stray Dog

So we have the cutest dog sitting on our back deck right now. He's a chocolate lab, about one year old. Neighbors first started calling us about him on Thursday around noon because everyone thought it was our own beloved chocolate lab, Ben, roaming the neighborhood. But no, Benjamin was safely in our house at that time. So it's now Saturday, and dear puppy whom we've dubbed Jake, is now safely in our backyard, with a collar on, as we canvass the area trying to find his owner. So if you know of anyone missing a chocolate lab in the area, let me know!

Lessons in Domesticity

Student teaching has been an intense experience; one of the best experiences of my life so far, but intense all the same. So unfortunately as a result, my house has received little attention since Christmas. That is, until this spring break when I stumbled upon this lovely little website, FlyLady.net. I know, it sounds like a hokey website, but there are some amazing tidbits of information at this site. It's a great source for lessons in domesticity, if you are so inclined.

Because of this site, I now see the value in "getting dressed to my shoes" first thing in the morning (this only applies for me on non-work days...I hold off getting into high heels until I am exiting the house), shining my sink at the end of my day, working through overwhelming areas of my house in 15-minute intervals, decluttering in a systematic way, and a whole host of other things. Plus, when you sign up for their e-mail updates, they send all of these interesting ideas and helpful tips/motivations for keeping your house in working order. They also give advice on all areas of domesticity, not just cleaning. I'm thoroughly enjoying this little web-service and best of all...it's free!

Back in the Swing of Things

It was so nice to walk into the classroom again this morning. I'm such a geek, I love the smell of school. The chalk smell, the smell of the books, papers, pencils, etc. I love seeing the 28 desks in their little clusters and my freshly washed chalkboards and of course the joy of writing the day's agenda on the board for each class I teach. I love everything about being in the classroom first thing in the morning!

As for my lessons today, I had some technical difficulties with laptops and our ActivBoard so I had to postpone one of my scheduled lesson plans and pull my lesson plan that I was going to do on Thursday to today. Another lesson I am continually being reminded of each and every week: teachers need to be flexible, especially when integrating technology into our teaching. I was a bit frustrated because I had been so excited about this particular lesson. I had this fun PowerPoint created, complete with music to accompany writing prompts, and I was going to do this whole dramatic reading of a Chinese fairy tale. I even had created a background soundtrack of sorts with traditional Chinese instrumentals to make the reading more fun for the students to listen to. Then we were going to conclude the lesson by munching on fortune cookies (which I bought yesterday at Gordon's) as we completed the writing prompt for the day. Oh well, hopefully tomorrow will be better and I'll be able to teach what I had planned.

So as you can probably tell, I'm back into the swing of things now. Spring break is over and it's time to dig in and finish these last two weeks of student teaching. So with that, I'll end here. Time to get back to my work! Enjoy your night!

We Survived!

Ciaran and I have weathered another storm (which I know goes with being 850 miles apart) and we survived! Thank you to all of you who continue to lift us up in prayer. We fully know that God is the one who is carrying us through this tough time apart...and your prayers on our behalf are truly coveted. Continue to pray for us as we seek to glorify God to the utmost through this long-distance relationship.

In other news, I've been thinking about how my time student teaching is drawing to a close...I only have two weeks left and this amazing experience teaching inner-city will be over. Goodness the time has flown. I was standing in front of my classroom last week (teaching at the time, mind you) and I almost got choked up as I realized how much God has grown me this semester, both as a child of God and as a teacher. I still have so much to learn and so many areas I need to grow, but I can clearly see God's fingerprints all over this entire semester. And my students, oh I am going to miss them so much. They have challenged me beyond anything I thought was possible, but oh do I treasure them! I am currently in the process of putting together little gifts for each of them. With somewhere around 130 students, this is proving to be a challenging task, but well worth it all the same. And I'm also trying to put into words (i.e. little notes) my thanks to all of the teachers who have so profoundly impacted me this semester. I will forever stand in awe of these amazing teachers who give of themselves so unselfishly and so tirelessly each and every day at this school. The battles they face on a daily basis are so different and far more CHALLENGING than anything I ever anticipated a teacher would have to face and yet they meet these battles head-on and with such amazing attitudes. And through it all, so many of them still have such a passion for their profession and a hunger to keep growing as teachers and professionals in their respective fields. I have been truly blessed to study under them this semester!

Well it's getting late and 5:15am is going to come quickly tomorrow. That's right, I'm getting back into my teaching schedule starting tomorrow. I have thoroughly enjoyed my spring break, but it's time to start getting back into my normal routine again. Goodnight!

My New Little Desk

See my new lovely little lap desk! I absolutely love it! I love its design and the fact that it has Psalm 46:10 scrawled across it (a much needed reminder at any point in my day). I bought this little desk to use when I am grading papers (since I quickly discovered I don't enjoy grading papers at the kitchen table). But I have found that it is perfect for my morning quiet time, for working on my Bible study homework, for journaling, and of course for a comfortable evening of grading papers and lesson planning. I even used it this morning as I sat in the back room making my "To-Do" list for the day and drinking tea. Ah yes, and that brings me to my next point. I'm becoming a tea drinker! After all these years and all my friends allowing me to taste test different teas, I've finally discovered a tea I like: chamomile! I don't even have to add anything to it (i.e. honey, sugar, milk, etc.). Hehe. All right, so this a pointless post today, but so much fun to write. Have a blessed day everyone!

*I bought this lovely little desk at cbd.com. Click on the picture if you want to see more details. :-)

Singing As I Clean

As I clean today, this song keeps repeating itself inside my head. So as a result, I've been singing it over and over again as I work which then prompted me to share here the two verses that I keep fixating on.

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the cross of Christ my God
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

From Isaac Watts' hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross"

A New Look

Spring is here and with that comes spring cleaning! And of course my blog cannot be exempt from the wonderful joy of spring cleaning either, so with that I'm cleaning out the old look and bringing in a new one. Also if I could draw your attention to the left side of the screen you will see my new Shelfari Bookshelf. I absolutely love this new feature. I stumbled upon it when I was exploring blogs this morning. I haven't had a ton of time to tinker with it yet, but I've found enough time to place six of the books I am currently reading on its shelves. Well, back I go to my cleaning. Enjoy your day!

Grading Papers & Lesson Planning

Today marked the first Saturday morning of my student teaching in which I graded papers without the joy of watching soccer at the same time. That’s right, we no longer have Fox Soccer Channel at our house. :-( At the beginning of the year, my mom and I revamped our budget and alas, FSC was one of the little “extras” I had enjoyed that needed to go. Yet, it took until the end of February to finally make this much needed cut. How sad it is that I cling to worldly things with such a vice-like grip.

In other news, student teaching is still going well, but has gotten progressively more difficult with each passing day. My students have “cabin fever” because of the long, hard winter which makes classroom management a moment-by-moment (exhausting) battle. Last week the students were so off the hook when I was teaching them about figurative language that I finally just shouted, “Everyone stand up!” I then proceeded to label three corners of my classroom , “Simile,” “Metaphor,” and “Idiom.” Then I read the sentence containing the use of figurative language and had the students move to the corner they thought was the right answer. It was such a simple activity (an adaptation of a teaching strategy called 4 Corners), but you would have thought I’d just awarded my students a million dollars. One of my especially challenging students asked me the next day if we could practice identifying figurative language again. They were so excited to be out of the seats and competing against one another and as an added bonus, by the end of class, I think about eighty percent of them fully understood what a simile, metaphor, and idiom is. I’ll still have to do a considerable amount of follow-up work to get the other twenty percent. But that activity was so not a part of the original lesson plan that I had spent over an hour planning the previous weekend. We also finally finished reading the novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen in three of my ELA classes. It’s taken us two months to wade through this novel (after snow days and standardized test interruptions). To celebrate the conclusion of the novel and review for the test, I created a Jeopardy review game last weekend using PowerPoint (complete with the fun Jeopardy music) and then went to Staples and bought three desktop call bells (to use for buzzers). Then on Wednesday we spent the hour playing the game (i.e. reviewing for the test). The kids loved it and what was even more exciting; they turned around and collectively did quite well on their unit test. And I had at least two dozen of the students ask me on Friday if we could play Jeopardy again to review for our next unit test. Yay, my students interested and excited about reviewing for a test! What more could I ask for?!

All right, enough about teaching. Carter’s home this weekend! He’s been working so many weekend hours at Detroit Metro the past few months that I feel as if I haven’t seen him in years! :-) So off I go to enjoy him being home. Enjoy your Saturday!

The Valley of Vision

It has been such a long time since I last wrote so I know full well this post is long overdue. My semester of student teaching inner-city at an “at risk” school is commandeering almost all of my time at present. I can’t go into details, nor can I share some incredibly fun pictures of my students, but I can share that this is probably the single most challenging experience of my life and simultaneously one of the more enjoyable experiences as well. It is challenging because I am stretched daily, or rather moment by moment, so far out of my comfort zone where I can do nothing but look Godward and trust Him to work through me to serve this school and more importantly, these children that God has placed before me. Some days I am heartbroken by the sadness before me, frustrated by injustice, my own ignorance and inability and a whole host of other things. Yet other days, I want to dance and sing at the top of my lungs as I revel in the joy of teaching in an environment where you are needed so much. It kills me not to be able to go into details, so I’m going to cut this post short. Oh yes, one more thing...the song I have shared below is from the CD Valley of Vision by Sovereign Grace Music. Shannon Harris sings this song on the CD and every time I listen to it, I am almost moved to tears because this PERFECTLY describes this semester. Enjoy!

“In the Valley”
Bob Kauflin 2006
Sovereign Grace Praise

When You lead me to the valley of vision
I can see You in the heights
And though my humbling wouldn’t be my decision
It’s here Your glory shines so bright
So let me learn that the cross precedes the crown
To be low is to be high
That the valley’s where You make me
more like Christ

Let me find Your grace in the valley
Let me find Your life in my death
Let me find Your joy in my sorrow
Your wealth in my need
That You’re near with every breath
In the valley

In the daytime there are stars in the heavens
But they only shine at night
And the deeper that I go into darkness
The more I see their radiant light
So let me learn that my losses are my gain
To be broken is to heal
That the valley’s where Your power is revealed

Let me find Your grace in the valley
Let me find Your life in my death
Let me find Your joy in my sorrow
Your wealth in my need
That You’re near with every breath
In the valley

You can listen to an excerpt of this song at Sovereign Grace Music’s site...it’s the first track on the album.

http://www.sovereigngracemusic.org/albums/category/sovereign_grace_music/valley_of_vision

Jose's New Job

So I was watching some good Boxing Day soccer with Ciaran this morning and early afternoon and who appears on Setanta Sports after the Man. U. game but Jose Mourinho...the puppet. The clip that we watched isn't up on YouTube yet, but an older one is. Even though I love Mourinho as a manager, I had to laugh at the clip. Hopefully, the one I saw today will be up on YouTube sometime soon. In the meantime, enjoy the one I have provided below.



For this clip, I especially love when a certain Russian billionaire calls in...so funny!!! Drogba crying for Jose to come back and Makelele's call-in cracked me up as well.

A Journal Theme

So I love to journal. That is no big secret. I've been journaling since I was eight years old and I have the boxes full of old journals to prove it. Tonight I was going through all my old journals trying to find the ones from sixth grade. [I want to remember what it was like to be in sixth grade so I can better teach my sixth graders next semester when I am student teaching.] I located them, read through a bunch of the entries, e-mailed one in particular (that made me laugh the hardest) to Ciaran and then boxed them back up and forgot about it. Then, just a few minutes ago, I was patrolling some of my favorite blogs while I wait for a sub job to be posted on the ISD's website and I stumbled onto the Josh Harris blog (a personal favorite of mine)...and guess what...on December 5th's entry, there sat a picture of my current journal (it's the one on the farthest right). It made me smile because this journal is one of my current favorites; I even had to show it to my friend Amy as soon as I got it because I love it so much! I'm very particular about the paper in my journals, the binding, the cover, everything. I guess you could say I'm a connoisseur of journals. Is that even possible?! No matter, I love journals and I adore this one. And I was especially excited to see it featured on the blog of Joshua Harris. Pretty sweet. OK, I just got a job tomorrow at Heritage so I had better get moving so I can get to bed at a halfway decent time tonight. Hope everyone's having a wonderful Sabbath.

Happy Birthday Ciaran!

That’s right, today is Ciaran’s 28^th birthday (and his twin sister Sinead's obviously as well). :-) And guess what?! Ciaran got his first snow day as a teacher today. Apparently out in New Hampshire they’ve gotten over a half foot of snow...what a fun surprise. So here’s wishing him an enjoyable and restful birthday! Oh and I've included a picture of him working one Saturday in the shop he teaches in. I took this picture when I visited him in October; I snapped this one without him knowing I was going to take it...that's why it's only a profile shot. Hehe. Happy 28^th Ciaran!

And my uncle's benefit last night was a blast. He's always happiest when he's up there playing keyboard so it was an absolute joy to watch him in his element again! Thanks to everyone who came out; what an amazing turnout!

And now I am off to go buy a project display board for a big presentation I have to give Wednesday afternoon. This project is consuming my thoughts today, so I'm sorry if this post is a bit jumbled and confusing. I will be so glad to finally be done with this class. I've learned a lot, but it's been a ton of work; definitely not what I had been expecting. But I'm in the homestretch now and then student teaching will be starting before I know it! Yay!

Benefit for Brian Bennett

For those of you remember when I posted back in July about my uncle Brian who suffered a massive stroke...there is going to be a benefit for him on Sunday in Saginaw at The Roadhouse on Gratiot. It's starts at 1:30pm and I think my uncle will play sometime around 6pm (one-handed of course). :-)

The Saginaw News had an article about it yesterday. Here is the link if you want to read it.
http://blog.mlive.com/saginawnews/2007/11/stroke_cant_stop_40_years_of_m.html

All right, I'm about ready to head up north for a little retreat with the Lord and a few other girls so I had better go finish packing.

Catching up on E-mails

I have a severe backlog of e-mails to catch up with tonight, so instead of an original post from me, I’m going to refer you to the November 27^th and 28^th postings on the GirlTalk blog. Why am I doing this? Because Carolyn Mahaney quotes Piper? Well yes, she does, but the message is particularly relevant with the Christmas season upon us now. To whet your appetite for what Carolyn Mahaney has to say, I’ve included a brief excerpt from Piper’s book A Hunger for God, taken directly from the Girl Talk blog.

“The greatest adversary of love to God is not his enemies but his gifts. And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth. For when these replace an appetite for God himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable.

Jesus said some people hear the word of God, and a desire for God is awakened in their hearts. But then, ‘as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life’ (Luke 8:14). ‘The pleasures of this life’ are not evil in themselves. These are not the vices. These are gifts of God. They are your basic meat and potatoes and coffee and gardening and reading and decorating and traveling and investing and TV-watching and Internet-surfing and shopping and exercising and collecting and talking. And all of them can become deadly substitutes for God” (John Piper, A Hunger for God, p. 14-15).

I found this quote incredibly convicting and a much needed reminder, not just with the Christmas season upon me, but also as I prepare for a personal retreat with the Lord that I am going on tomorrow and Saturday (along with three other girlfriends). OK, enough out of me, my e-mails await! Enjoy Carolyn Mahaney’s posts on the Girl Talk blog tonight. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to write again tomorrow before heading up north.

Face to Face

I'm home today working on a huge project for my Methods of Teaching English class. I needed a bit of a break so I thought to myself, "Hmm...why not post to my blog during this little study break." So I thought I would share in these few brief moments a favorite book of mine right now. Now this book is a book I've been working through the past few months. It's entitled Face to Face: Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship by Kenneth Boa. I absolutely love this book because it is a prayer guide almost entirely comprised of Scripture. Each day features the components of adoration, confession, renewal, petition, intercession, affirmation, thanksgiving and a closing prayer. Each of these components has up to a handful of Scripture passages to pray through and meditate on. This of course was a book my mentor recommended for me to get and now I recommend it to everyone I talk to about prayer and especially to people who are passionately eager to ground their prayers in the bedrock of Scripture. I think what has challenged me the most while working through these prayers is the realization of how "me-centered" my prayers are and how little time I spend simply adoring God for who He is. That changed quickly once I started praying through this book. Another facet of this book that I love is that these aren't simply a bunch of "canned" prayers to pray through without thinking. Because it is Scripture and God's Word is alive, it is next to impossible to kneel down and pray through these without coming face to face (hehe, hence the title) with our Living God. I love that so much. I fully and heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to increase their level of intimacy with the Lord.

OpenCongress

Have you ever visited this site? I absolutely love it. It's called OpenCongress. It's a site that keeps you updated on all that is going on in Congress. It tells you when the House and Senate are in session, has featured congressman on the homepage, details the latest votes, and my favorite part...it provides links to everything Congress related. I've been keeping up with all that is going on related to foreign policy, education, etc. all because of this lovely site. I've also been following what my reps are actually doing there in Washington and what they are voting on. Very useful and so much fun! Enjoy!

A New Week

Ah, the wonderful daily grind. It’s usually so hard for me to get back into the swing of things after Thanksgiving, but this year has been different. I bounded out of bed at 5:20 this morning and was so eager to get working hard as quickly as possible. I’m thinking this is my natural coping mechanism. When Grandpa died, I wanted to be as busy as possible (once I got over the initial debilitating and uncontrollable sobbing of course). It was the same when my cat Jamison had to be put to sleep (if you’re laughing at this, you have to realize that Jamison was incredibly precious to me, hehe). And now with these Ciaran good-byes, I find that afterward I always have this insatiable desire to work really, really hard. I guess it could be worse; I could be mopey and not want to get out of bed right?!

So today. My meeting at the school I will be student teaching at went great. I got to meet the principal and my host teacher, as well as see the assistant principal who used to be an assistant principal at South (she remembered me from when I did field work there two years ago..it was nice to see a familiar face). My host teacher seems really great! She gave me a ton of resources to work through the next few weeks as I begin plotting out some rough sketches for my lesson plans. One little surprise though: my host teacher is white. What does that have to do with anything, you are probably thinking to yourself right about now. Well you see, it doesn’t matter, but it was a surprise because everyone I saw in the administration and support staff up until the moment I met her was black. Also, I learned today that this school is known as the “black” school because unlike the other district schools that have an incredibly diverse student population (and as a result have incredibly high racial tensions); this one doesn’t because it’s comprised almost entirely of African Americans. So at least racial tensions and feuding aren’t really something I’m going to have to deal with. I am going to have a few different kinds of challenges to face though. First, apparently I have a few arsonists in my classes and one student in particular is notorious for fighting and injuring his teachers—that should be interesting. My host teacher filled me in on a number of other behavioral and criminal information concerning my future students, but I’m going to wait and see for myself how these kids act before I start blogging about it...it feels too much like gossip until I’ve experienced it first hand. Haha. In all seriousness though, I am incredibly excited about my student teaching placement. My host teacher told me repeatedly today that this placement is guaranteed to make me a better teacher and by observing everything today, I know (without a shadow of a doubt) she’s right. I also know God has me at this school for a distinct purpose; I just can’t wait to get started!

The Official End of Thanksgiving

Well, Thanksgiving is officially over now. It was so hard to say good-bye to Ciaran today at the airport. You might think I’d be getting used to these good-byes by now, but the funny thing is, each time seems just as tough as the last time, if not tougher. Well, dwelling on the fact that Ciaran is winging his way back to New Hampshire isn’t helping so a few brief moments thinking back on fun times this weekend might be just the thing to help me with this.

I treasured every moment I had with Ciaran this weekend. It was an intense whirlwind of a weekend though. There were so many people Ciaran wanted to see and his oldest brother (the brother I hadn’t met yet), sister-in-law, nephew and niece ended up making it to Michigan for Thanksgiving as well. Even with two of Ciaran’s siblings not there this weekend (they both live in California), there were still a ton of people around at all times.

I also had an absolute blast hanging out with Ciaran’s nephew this weekend. His niece is a sweetie too of course, but I spent more time with Shea, watching the Saginaw Spirit play, “partying” with him late into the night, watching movies, talking about soccer (he thinks Chelsea are a bunch of cheaters....further proof of Ciaran’s corrupting influence on this dear boy) and of course we spent quite a bit of time talking about how cool Uncle Ciaran is. Shea thinks Ciaran is a celebrity because no matter where they went this weekend, he was accosted by people who knew him (a lot of these people were former soccer players he’s coached over the last ten years, but Shea still thought it was pretty amazing). :-) I myself was amazed at Shea’s incredible memory. I hadn’t seen Shea in quite awhile, it’s been at least two years and he still remembered playing soccer and basketball with me one summer and he also remembered when he was probably only four years old (maybe five, I’m not sure) going back to my pond when we had snapping turtles. I thought that was pretty impressive...I’d even forgotten about the time when the turtles were back at our pond. Oh yes and Shea even gave me a job lead; he filled me in that, in his opinion, Madison schools are pretty good and I could move to Wisconsin when I get my teaching certificate...apparently there’s a house for sale close to his house. I don’t know though, Madison is even further away from Uncle Ciaran; that might be pretty tough. :-) Ah fun times, I hope Shea will come and visit again soon!

And I can’t forget about Ciaran’s niece...she is a riot! She insisted on being called Meatball or Woof-Woof almost the entire time. She likes to pretend she’s a puppy. I addressed her as Neeva once and she looked up at me shaking her head and stated so seriously, “No Neeva, I’m Meatball” and proceeded to curl up in Ciaran’s lap. She even got some little playmates to play puppy too and Ciaran dubbed one of those little girls Spaghetti. Four-year-olds are so much fun and Spaghetti and Meatball were the best!

OK, next, you had to know this was coming. ENGLAND’S NOT GOING TO EURO 2008!!! What is this world coming to?!!! Ciaran’s dad ordered the England v. Croatia game on Pay-Per-View for us and so I got to watch it live on Wednesday. What a devastating game! All we needed was a draw, that’s it, not too much to ask for is it? If you would have told me when World Cup was ending...and as I kept reassuring myself that Euro 2008 would be here before I knew it...if you would have told me England would not even qualify I would have laughed in your face...and now....that’s exactly what has happened. Such a bummer. I don’t even know what I’m going to do this summer...who can I possibly support? England is all I know! So the search is on, I’m going to be researching teams this winter and hopefully by April reach my final decision.

All right, there is so much more I could and should write about, but I need to eat and work out yet before bed and I have an early morning tomorrow. I meet with Central’s principal and my potential host teacher first thing in the morning, so I need to be well rested for that. Night!

Waiting Game

So I'm playing the waiting game tonight. Sitting here at my computer, I'm reloading the flight status information for Northwest Airlines time and time again, hoping Ciaran's going to actually make his flight from Detroit to Flint. His flight was supposed to leave Manchester just after 4 and it did leave the gate after 4, but then he sat on the tarmac for over an hour and now he isn't due into Detroit until 7, and according to my brother (who works at Detroit Metro), it's very unlikely he's going to be able to make his next flight. Grr....I'm trying to be patient, but it's been over a month since I last saw Ciaran and I've been so excited about him coming home, I've barely been able to concentrate all day. My mom made a big lasagna dinner for us to eat when we get back from Flint and I was looking forward to some quality time with him tonight before all the holiday rush starts tomorrow. I hope Ciaran gets here soon!

Sabbath Thoughts

I love Sundays. I've said it before and you'll hear me say it a hundred more times probably. We concluded our six week unified theme at church today with a sermon entitled, "Take Christ to the Nations." As a result, I've been thinking a lot today about those people who have no access to the gospel whatsoever. The metronome Pastor Jay had on the stage keeps echoing in my mind too. I need sermons like this to keep me missions focused. I was just telling Ciaran on the phone this afternoon that my passion for missions has been clouded out by teaching and school and lots of other frivolous, "cushy," typical American concerns. It was awesome to have God use Pastor Jay to remind me of my responsibility to pray and support our missionaries who are working to reach the least-reached peoples of the world with the gospel. A couple also spoke in church today who are just about ready to leave to minister in Southeast Asia. A daughter of theirs (whom I absolutely adore!) is in the preschool classroom I serve in and as I played with her today, I found myself praying for her, her family and the people they are going to serve in Southeast Asia, more fervently than I've prayed in a long time...partly because I'm going to miss this dear little girl so much (I know I'm going to bawl my eyes out when I have to say good-bye to her), but also because I understand how truly amazing it is that God is equipping this dear family to leave the area, their family, their friends, all to serve our awesome Savior and bring glory to His name! Our God is so awesome, I love the way He works!

So as I was sabbathing this afternoon, those are some of the thoughts and prayers that I was working through with the Lord. I also got to enjoy some quality time with my brother and my mom before heading back to church this evening. It was a thoroughly refreshing afternoon.

Then tonight...wow....so much fun!!! I was helping out with childcare for our Celebration Service tonight and there were 25 kids between the ages of really little babies to Pre-K and there was me, one other older lady and two eighth graders to care for them (don't worry, we had reinforcements come in later once the word got out about how many kids we had!). It was a bit overwhelming at first, but a ton of my preschoolers were there with their siblings so it helped a bit because I knew them. Mrs. Loomis stayed and helped too once she saw how many kids there were. What an awesome way to conclude my Sabbath, having a blast with a ton of kids, being all crazy and silly and enjoying the day that the Lord has blessed us with. Ahhh, reflecting on my day here for my blog has been so much fun. I should do this more often. I'm going to fall asleep tonight with lips overflowing in thanksgiving to God for the life He has blessed me with...I truly could not ask for more. I hope each and every one of you is having a truly blessed Sabbath as well. Night!

Student Teaching Placement

I’m so excited I can barely contain myself. I can't stop thanking God for this incredible blessing!!! I received my student teaching placement yesterday: I’m teaching 6^th grade ELA at Central Middle next semester. This is exactly the placement I had been hoping for! My mom wasn’t too thrilled initially, what with all the recent drive-by shootings that have taken place down in that vicinity, but she knows this is important to me and so she’s supportive now. I can’t wait to get started! 6^th grade does seem a little young though, so I’m going to have to re-evaluate some of my teaching strategies, but I know it’s going to be a great learning experience and also, I’ll have taught every grade in my 6-12^th grade certification except 8th grade. Maybe I can find a lengthy subbing job in 8^th grade during the month of May when I’m available to sub full-time again. OK, I’m rambling way too much...I’m just so excited! Ciaran got an earful from me last night on the phone, but he understood why I’m so excited; his student teaching placement last winter was in Saginaw Public as well (except he taught 11^th and 12^th grade) and it was an awesome experience for him! Hopefully mine will be just as good!

Home Sick Today

Well, this is officially the longest I've gone in a semester before getting sick with a fever. I was hoping I'd make it past Thanksgiving this year, but unfortunately that didn't happen. So, here I am, curled up in my favorite blanket, sitting at the computer typing away as my head gets fuzzier and fuzzier. I'd probably better get back in bed, but I wanted to post today. At least one paragraph and well here it is. Here's to feeling healthy again tomorrow. Oh and before I go, here's a video and song I've been enjoying since Jen told me about this artist (Brooke Fraser). Enjoy!

Life Update

I can't believe how little I post to this blog these days! So I've decided to change my tactics. Instead of waiting until I have something worthwhile to say, I'm just going to post everything and anything that comes to mind. Starting now.

Topic #1: Substitute teaching.

Subbing, I have decided, is always an adventure. And if you can't have fun no matter what, and can't enjoy observing the crazy antics of the kids (and maybe record a few of these said antics for a book to be written later on), it's not worth doing. I heard all summer how subbing was going to help my classroom management skills and toughen me up...and maybe it is doing these things...but I'm learning far more than how to be "tough." I'm learning that I just all out enjoy being in the classroom. These kids crack me up...even the ones that seem determined to dislike me even before I've known them a minute. And another thing I've learned is...yes I may look younger than most of them, but I do actually have things I can teach them. And that's why I'm there. I could go on and on about this particular topic, but those are just some preliminary thoughts I wanted to get down.

Topic #2: Single no more.

Ciaran and I have been dating awhile now and although I sat at his soccer game over three months ago and declared to a few girlfriends that a long distance relationship just wasn't something I could ever see myself in...I have yet again eaten my words. But with Ciaran, it's different. I know, I know, everyone says stuff like that, but I really mean it. I am thoroughly enjoying this long-distance relationship. But I also am REALLY excited that a week from tomorrow night, he'll be flying back for a few days. :-)

Topic #3: Preschoolers.

Serving preschoolers on Sunday morning during second service is such an amazingly refreshing experience to have each and every week. It takes a little bit of an adjustment switching from standing in front of 7-12 graders all week and then shifting to sitting on the floor building Noah's Ark out of a bunch of blocks with a group of three and four-year-olds...but I absolutely love it. I could go on and on about the funniest things they say, but I have to cut this post short because I just looked at the time and I need to eat some dinner before I go to meet with my mentor tonight at 7.

Hopefully, I will post again tomorrow.

Shooting at South Middle

This post is a little delayed, I know...but I really wanted to post about this, at least to some degree. I'm sure by now, many of you have heard of the shooting on Wednesday early evening at South Middle in Saginaw. I was heartbroken as I watched the news footage as the camera panned across the front of the school and then down by the football field. South Middle, the school that is dearest to my heart, now the latest display of teen violence in Saginaw.

My time at South Middle when I was doing my teaching field work is a time I continually refer back to in my memory with nothing but excitement and joy, the experience that reminds me of why I want to be a teacher. I am reminded of the stellar administration and teaching staff there that are committed to ensuring that each student receives a good education, no matter what. Oh I could go on and on about how amazing the South staff and administration are as they face challenges on a daily basis that extend much further than simply curriculum and budget concerns that so many schools in my own little community face.

When I did my field work at South, I parked every morning just about ten feet from where the shooting took place. I remember standing with my class in the very place where this young man was, when I took the kids out in front of the school for a fire drill. The young man who apparently committed this act of violence was a student at the school when I was teaching there for my semester of field work. What causes a student to act out in violence like this? And what is my responsibility as a future teacher when I'm standing before these students on a daily basis? What needs to be addressed? What can I do? I don't know, these probably seem like naive questions and they are hardly deep, but they are questions that flit across my mind as I continue to watch the follow-up on the news concerning this shooting. Especially as I watch the interviews of the parents who are pulling their kids from South now that this has occurred, declaring that there is no discipline at the school and that their kids are too frightened to go back.

I know with full certainty one thing I will continue to do and consider my greatest ministry as I teach. And that is to pray. Pray for each one of the lives that I get to interact with on a daily basis, for the school, and for the community. I know this is one thing I can do because although I feel so helpless as I consider this huge issue of violence in Saginaw, I know with full certainty that God is not helpless. And I will place my hope and my trust in Him.

Jose Has Departed

Due to the onslaught of e-mails I have received in just a matter of hours (wow does word travel fast from across the pond or what?!...and yes, most of you beat me to this little tidbit of information), I thought I would address this on my blog. Yes, I have heard that the manager of Chelsea, Jose Mourinho, and the club have decided to go their separate ways. What do I think about this? Well, my initial reaction was devastation of course, because even though we’re off to rocky start this season, I still believed that Mourinho would iron everything out and we’d be back to our normal amazing performances. But sadly, that is not how it is going to work out. I have no idea about this new manager Avram Grant...all I really know is that he’s Israeli, did an ok job with their national team, etc., but other than that, I’m not too sure if this is a permanent appointment. He just doesn’t strike me as someone who would be placed at the helm of my amazing club! I know he’s good buddies with Abramovich and I also think he’s close with Sven-Göran Eriksson, but that doesn’t tell me much about his ability to lead my boys well. Ugh. What a frustrating day. My man Lampard is still injured, we are fifth in the table, then we go and draw to what I consider to be a non-entity team in Champions League and now this. I will be surprised at nothing after this.

The Academic Year is Underway

It has been such a long while since I last posted anything substantive. I guess I just haven't felt like sharing my thoughts in a public space lately...my journal however, is overflowing with thoughts, musings, reflections, etc.

But since the academic year is fully underway now, I thought it would be fun to post once again. I had my second Methods of Teaching English class tonight. Oh how I love this class. It's three hours long and it's over in what seems like a blink of an eye. That's how much I love it! It feels so good to be back in class again, and everything I do in this class I can take into a middle school classroom and apply in January when I begin my student teaching. That makes it even more fun!

In other news, I only have 8 more work days left at Staples and then I will begin my substitute teaching. Yet another thing I'm really excited about. God has really used this experience at Staples to grow me in my walk with Him, as well as providing me countless opportunities to dialogue with tons of teachers and administrators which has been invaluable as well--so even though I am so thrilled to almost be done, I'm grateful for what God provided me with this summer.

And then as many of you know, my dear friend Ciaran moved to New Hampshire three weeks ago and my world has been a bit gray as a result, but he is really liking it out there and enjoying his teaching so much that I can't help but be overjoyed at how God has provided in this area as well. Even though I do miss him terribly...especially with Prem. just getting underway. ;-)

And of course my relationship with God...man, I am continually amazed at His power. When I was up in Oscoda a few weekends ago, I was overwhelmed not just by thoughts of God as this amazing Creator, but how He sustains His creation. As I looked out over the water and the waves crashing and felt the wind beating against my face, I just felt, well in awe that God is the one who sustains all of this. I don't know, I guess I can't put into words the thoughts of God and my worship of Him as I sat on the beach early that Saturday morning, but I can say this. Every time I take the time to drive up there and to sit on the beach and look out at that vast expanse of water, I am humbled and reminded of God's power and immensity. I'm reminded that He is God and that He is sovereign and that His ways are not my ways. I'm reminded that He is my Creator, Sustainer, Provider, Preserver...oh I could go on and on. I've been told over and over again that most people have a place they can go to be reminded of who God is and to meet with Him and be refreshed. My place is right beside a big body of water. God never fails to remind me of who He is and draw me into heartfelt, whole-hearted worship of Him when I am next to the water. And it stays with me. Even this morning as I huddled down in my room to spend some quality alone time with Him before my day officially began, I was reminded of what He was teaching me up in Oscoda and how to apply it to my day today. I love that so much! Our God is truly an awesome God!

OK, well I've rambled on long enough. I'll end here for the night. I hope everyone is enjoying an incredibly wonderful, God-saturated day.