Celebrating 30!

Reflecting on Thirty Years!

Today, I turned the big 3-0. It would've been a lot more exciting if I hadn't spent the entire week on my back with one of the worst stomach bugs that I've ever had! Every time I think it's passing, it comes back full force! I think I may have turned the corner tonight, and was able to eat solid food at my birthday dinner with my family. Hopefully I'll be in full swing for the big luau Greg and my parents are throwing for me tomorrow!

I have had lots of conversations this week with friends about turning thirty. Some have asked me if I'm where I thought I'd be, or if I had any regrets, and it got me to thinking. Here are my thoughts:

Children: I always thought that I'd have more than one child by thirty, but we're working on that! I feel so blessed to have my precious Connor (even though he's been a little rascal this week!). Sometimes I'll just be staring at him and he'll say, "Why are you looking at me Mom?" I catch myself just looking at him sometimes, amazed at how handsome, big, and smart he is. Even though sometimes I don't understand why we've been asked to wait so long to add to our family, I know we are being faithful to God's plan, so I know He must just have an amazing little girl waiting for us!

Career: I'm really proud of my career, and feel like I've worked really hard to get to where I am. I feel honored to be in my position at such a young age, and feel so blessed that so many people have put their faith and trust in me. People keep asking me if I want to keep moving up in administration, but I have no idea. I've always seen myself teaching at a college level, never as a head principal, but we'll see what God has planned!

Marriage: I've been married eight and a half years, and these days, that's something I am so proud of. My husband is the most kind and least selfish person that I think I've ever met! There are so many times that I just think to myself, "Why does he put up with me?" Greg is genuine, caring, and has such a gentle spirit. He's an amazing and unbelievable father. He has been able to open up new worlds for me in so many ways. He's changed my thinking, my attitude, and how I see things. He's taken me to so many beautiful places all over the country, and even a few outside of the U.S. I love how much we love traveling, and how we place such an importance on family vacation time. I just love him so much!

Faith: I think it took me thirty years to finally get over myself! I have learned so much this past year about the way I want to live the rest of my life, and what kind of impact I want to have on this world. I think growing up, I probably saw myself at thirty having a safe, comfortable life, and now that's the exact opposite of what I want. I want to make a difference, I want to step outside of myself and do something, not just feel compassion, but actually do something with it. A line from my favorite worship song says for God to "Break my heart from what breaks yours". This has been my prayer for the past year, and I feel so blessed to have become part of a community that seeks this in their lives as well.

So, is my life the way I saw it as a dreamy eyed highschool girl? Absolutely not! But I am so thankful that it's not what I dreamed of. It's so much more and much, much more meaningful. I'm so hopeful as I begin looking forward to the things to come, and to see what I can do with the rest of my life! My prayer is for God to just show me what to do next!

A Very Long Week!

This was the first official week of my new job. I have worked 12 hours every day getting everything ready for the year to begin. Most of my week has been consumed with taking inventory of and delivering the school's new Social Studies curriculum, textbooks, and other materials. IT TOOK FOREVER! Greg took pity on me on Wednesday and helped me deliver the last of it to the teachers. Thank God for husbands who are willing to give up their day off to help their emotional and exhausted wives!

Today was the first "normal" day. I actually got several things done and feel a lot better about things. I finally got my new office set up. I decorated it in black and pink polka dots, mainly because it makes me think of this blog and Claire!

I miss my friends at Dogwood terribly! I have stopped by a couple of days to visit. I am so thankful that God placed me not too far away! I literally can be at Dogwood in five minutes, and it is on my way home every night.

I am getting to know the staff at my new school and I really like them. Tonight was our "Meet the Teacher" night and I was very impressed with the turnout. I have also been really impressed with the genuineness of the principal and the way he runs the school. I am excited to get the year started, and I'm excited about this new opportunity. I really feel like this new position is a great match for me, and quite honestly do not regret not being in the classroom at all.

I am hoping to work normal days and be a better mom and wife next week! Now, I just need some sleep!

One Long Chapter Ends, A New Chapter Begins

In the Fall of 2000, I walked through the front doors of Dogwood Elementary, a naive pre-intern. I was so annoyed that the University was making me intern all the way across town. We were supposed to be assigned to our "base schools" according to our zip codes. Brickey was one of our program's schools, and it was literally one mile from my house, but here I was driving 20 minutes across town to work at this inner city school, not the nice suburban school, all because UT had not changed my address and my zip code when I had moved the winter before.

I remember being so overwhelmed my first week by what I saw. I came face to face with true poverty. I found my journal a while back and read what I had written. It was so interesting to see how much it had shocked me at first, because sadly, over the past eight years, I have grown accustomed to it. I am used to working with kids so in need that my heart just breaks all day for them. I quickly came to love Dogwood, and was so thankful that God had put me there. I ended up interning full-time there, and have taught third grade my entire teaching career there. I love that school, the staff, and those kids with all my heart, and it pains me to know that tomorrow I will pack up my classroom and begin a new job.

I have accepted a position as a Curriculum and Instructional Facilitator at Mooreland Heights Elementary, very close to Dogwood. It is a "promotion" and my job description is very lengthy, and hard to explain. Greg still doesn't get it. I will miss my third-grade team so much. They are not only amazing teachers, wonderful colleagues, but true friends. They have assured me that I will remain an "honorary third grade team member." I have made so many friendships, gone through some hard times, great times, a lot of stress, and had a lot of fun during my time there. I am excited about my new job, but scared of change. I prayed for God to put me where he wanted me, even if that meant staying in the classroom, so I know that this is what I am supposed to do.

Every day I was so thankful that God was going to give me the opportunity to minster to, love, and teach a group of kids each day that needed me so much. I think that will be the hardest thing for me to give up, the joy of teaching, and the joy of seeing kids loving learning. Thankfully, my new job still allows me to get into the classroom at times. I am so excited to do new and different things, and to see how God can use my talents and skills in new ways.

Here are some pictures of my awesome team at Dogwood who I will miss more than I can even express! I know that our friendship will still continue, but I will miss seeing them every day, laughing with them, and being able to hear how loud they are all the way down the hall from inside my classroom!! My intern from this past school year is moving into my classroom and taking my place (in the pictures below, she is the super cute brunette in the white shirt.....I hate standing next to her!) I love knowing exactly who is in my classroom and taking my place. She will do a fantastic job, and I know the team is so excited to keep her as a part of the third grade! Please pray for me as I begin this new chapter in my life.

It's been a good week....It's about to get even better!

I have had a GREAT week! It's been so nice! Even though I had to sit in workshops on Monday and Tuesday for work, I got to see all my co-workers. I haven't seen them since May, and I missed them!

Monday, I got to get rid of my nightmare car and I got a good ole' dependable Honda Pilot! I have heard such great things about them, so I am hoping that we made a good choice, although the gas mileage is already killing me. I went from a car that got 26/34 mpg to a car that gets like 15/21.

Tuesday evening, our third grade team had game night, and we had a lot of fun. I don't think any other group of people can make me laugh like them. They're loud and hilarious. We had a really great time, and I didn't even get home until after midnight...it's been a LONG time since I stayed out that late. I am getting old!

Wednesday, I got to spend some time with my best friend from middle and high school, and her adorable little girl. It was really great to catch up. I am so busy, and I hate how I lose touch so easily with people. Life just gets so crazy, and then you haven't seen someone in three years. It's ridiculous, but I have vowed to do better! After swimming with them, Mom and I went to Target and shopped for "The Family Christmas Shop." Right when we got there, they were marking down aisles upon aisles of toys to clearance, and we got two carts piled high with stuff. My small group had given me some money, and then mom and I bought some too. We had such a great time shopping! Connor got into it too, and told the cashier upon her inquiry of all the toys, "They're for kids who don't have any toys." He is so sweet!

As soon as I shower and pack, we're dropping Connor off and Nana and Granddaddy's and we're headed to the Haney's in Nashville to meet up with them and the Watson's. We're spending a few days at Nancy's parent's lakehouse in Kentucky. It is such a beautiful place, and I am so thankful that her family is so kind to have shared it with us so many times! I am so excited to end a good week with great friends, and I am sure with a lot of laughing! I am always thankful for my life, but this week has just been filled with so many blessings. It's been such a good week, and if I know my best friends, it's about to get better!

Goodbye.....You Stupid, Stupid Car!

Looks nice, doesn't it....don't be fooled! I'm pretty sure this is the car Satan himself drives! Starting two weeks after I got this car, it started tearing up. Power windows, engine, gaskets, seals, strange noises, interior peeling (radio, gear shift, etc.) I have had a lot of cars since I was 16, but this by far was the WORST! The only good things about it were that it was nice to look at, fun to drive with the turbo engine, and it got unbelievable gas mileage. But, who cares when every time you crank it, the computer screen comes on telling you that something else is broken. As of yesterday afternoon, it is someone else's problem. Thanks for a stressful two years!

Never, ever, ever buy a Saab 9-3!!!!

And now I will step down from my soapbox!

Summer Fun!

We've been having lots of fun since the beach! Of course, we are staying so busy, but I love doing so much fun stuff with Connor. Once school starts back, my life is out of control crazy, usually until October.

We've gone to Big Ed's (I hadn't been since highschool), the Secret City Festival in Oak Ridge, picked blackberries, and had a blast on the 4th with family and friends. We've also been going to the library every Tuesday, Dollywood and/or Splash Country every Wednesday, and anything else I can find to keep us busy on the other days. I think we might've had a couple of days at home, but neither of us like that very much.

Enjoy the slideshow.

Taiwan

Well, after a lot of prayer and a lot of thought about finances, we bought our tickets to Taiwan today. I am so excited, I can't stop smiling! We leave for Taipei December 27th and will return January 4th. During that week, we will explore the country and try to learn as much as we can about our daughter's heritage. We will also spend time in her orphanage, doing anything that they need us to do, and hopefully get to know the people who will be taking care of our daughter until we are allowed to go get her.

I will turn thirty in August and I've never been on a foreign mission trip before, so this is like my own little mission trip! We are very excited and feel so blessed to have this opportunity to visit Taiwan before we go over to get Claire. Yay God! Thank you so much for making this happen!

My New Best Friend

This is my new best friend.....

Why you ask? Because Connor is the WORST about getting up fifteen times after he's put to bed for EVERY excuse you can think of. I'm thirsty, I need to poop, I need one more hug, I didn't brush my teeth good enough....you get the idea.

Last week, I was at the Dollar Tree and Connor was spending three dollars that he had gotten from his great-grandmother. I found these book lights and thought, hey, this would be great for him to read in bed at night. So, for the past week, he has been allowed to read one book in bed with his book light after we have tucked him in and said prayers, and then he must turn it off on his own and go to sleep. And it WORKS! No more getting up, no more excuses! By the time I get up there to check on him, his book is beside his bed, his book light is turned off and laid on top of it, and he is fast asleep! I think he is like his momma, and just needs to wind down a bit to fall asleep. I usually have to read at night to wind down. I cannot just fall asleep laying there, unlike Greg who is snoring loud enough to wake up all of Knoxville ten seconds after his head hits the pillow. So, that's pretty much the best dollar I've ever spent in my life! I am thinking of buying a whole set for my classroom, and letting my students have special reading time with them. I thought they'd love to turn off the lights and read with the book lights every now and again. I'm going to Dollar Tree again today to buy all they have!

St. Augustine Slide Show

Florida Fun in St. Augustine

This vacation has been awesome! One of our most fun and relaxing ever. Pretty much all we've done is sleep, play, eat, laugh, read, and then repeat. Of course, I have some stories for you.

On Sunday, Connor wanted to buy a hermit crab. He decided to name him Shane. On Monday, he decided Shane was lonely, so he bought another crab and named him Howie. (No, I have no idea where those names came from). This morning, I had to break the news to him that Shane had gone to "Crab Heaven". He was really sad, and was asking all kinds of hilarious questions about "Crab Heaven." "Well, people heaven is up there, so is crab heaven down there? " "Why is his shell still here if he's up in crab heaven?' My mother-in-law had her face in a towel because she was laughing so hard. So, today we will bury Shane down by the beach, and return to get another hermit crab (that I'm pretty sure we'll kill too). Connor plans to name the new crab, "Shane Jr." I have no idea where he comes up with this stuff!

Every summer, Greg gets highights in his hair, for my sake only. I always think it looks nice after the beach. This year his Mom, really wanted them to show up, and well, they really show up alright. I think it looks fine, but he's freaking out a little. He looks like a surfer. It's really funny, and I'm sure all the boys will ridicule him to death. But, at least he still has hair to highlight!

Tuesday night, Greg and I dropped Mimi and Connor off at the movies and went out to eat. After dinner, we walked out to the pier and watched all the locals fishing. They caught a ton of sharks, so we thought we'd give it a whirl on Wednesday. So, we all hung out at the pier most of the day yesterday. Greg caught a baby hammerhead shark and a trout. We watched a guy pull in a four foot bullshark. Totally freaked me out! By the time we took a break and went back, someone had pulled in another four foot bullshark, and about the same size hammerhead shark. We saw tons of stingrays in the water, about a dozen dolphins, and a jellyfish that looked about the size of Connor's head. Needless to say, since all this occurred very close to the shore, our family's ocean adventures are over. We're sticking by the pool! Creepy!

Last night we went to an awesome restaurant that this cute little local retired couple recommended. It was called Mango Mango's. They had unbelievable Caribbean food. It is our new favorite down here, and can't wait to eat there again next year! Tomorrow is our last day, and we're planning on getting up early and eating breakfast at a little beach front restaurant called Beachcombers. I can't believe we only have two days left. It has gone by so quickly, but there's still more fun to be had, so I should get outside!

So Outta Here!

This has been a really long week! I have been in training for the past three days because the state of Tennessee is changing all their learning expectations for students, and I got the joy of learning about it all so I can go back and tell our school about it. Yes, it was as exciting as it sounded. I kept thinking of everything that I had to get done, so I was completely antsy. That on top of the fact that I am not used to sitting for seven hours straight!

We are leaving super early in the morning for Florida. We are all so excited to get out of here! I'm getting ready to start packing up the car after I post. We are planning on doing nothing but playing, relaxing, reading, laughing, and more relaxing! We always have a great time down there!

Connor has been very funny this week. He is so literal, and I think he might grow up to be a lawyer like his "G" because he seems to find the loophole in everything I tell him lately. First example, we went to Sonic for a slush and they gave him a mint. After he finished his slush, he wanted to open his mint and eat it as we were driving down the interstate. I explained to him that I didn't like him eating in the car because if he were to accidentally choke, I couldn't get to him quickly. So, he found the loophole. He opened the mint, held it between two fingers, and proceeded to lick the entire thing until it was gone. Today, we were coming out of CVS. We were coming towards the end of the sidewalk, and were standing right in front of my car. He almost stepped off the sidewalk, and I told him he knew that he couldn't go in the parking lot without holding a hand. So, he clasped both of his hands together and said, "I"m holding my hand" with a giggle. I gave him "the look" and he then took my hand. Loopholes.....

I'll post some pics from the beach as soon as we get some! See you in a week, Knoxville!

PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Now that it is summer and I actually have time to cook something other than quick meals, I don't know what to cook! I am so sick of cooking the same stuff!

What meals are your family's favorites?

Please help me get out of this rut! Post your favorite recipes!

Dollywood and Bass Pro Shop

Yee-Haw! Did I get youns attention?

Today was fun....really, really, really fun! We were supposed to go to Dollywood yesterday, but the weather called for rain, so I didn't go and was just planning on postponing it to next week. I woke up this morning and thought, what the heck, let's go! So, we got up early, got there right when it was opening, and it was SO CROWDED! Luckily, no one wants to ride all the rides that Connor is able to ride, so it wasn't too bad for us. He did get to ride the "Blazing Fury" for the first time and loved it. When we got off, he told the ride attendant, "That ride was AWESOME!" He is hilarious!

After a seven hour day at Dollywood, we stopped for dinner, and got reenergized with carbs and sugary beverages. I decided to stop at Bass Pro Shop because everyone says it's cool. Connor is all boy, and really into all that stuff, and I didn't have anywhere else to be, so I thought I'd let him explore. He loved it! We spent almost two hours in there....and guess what, there is a Starbucks right in the middle! What more could I ask for? So, we enjoyed hot chocolate and coffee while walking around looking at boats and "driving" them, his speed boat sounds were hilarious. (Connor and his mommy really want a boat!) We also crawled in tents and had a fake campout, explored all the fishing stuff, got freaked out at all the taxidermy, and the employees picked Connor to help them feed all the fish. It really was a little boy's heaven! He said that he decided it was the coolest store ever, and I loved it because he was just so darn happy in there!

Today was the best day I've had in a very long time. Four is such a great age! I am so glad I'm not teaching summer school and I'm getting to enjoy being a mom this summer. I'm excited to see what we can do tomorrow!

I Feel Like A Real Live Mom

My life from August until May: tired, exhausted, moody, the fastest dinners possible, in bed by 10 p.m., up no later than 6 a.m. Basically, 20 third graders getting most of my time, and my family is left with the exhausted mess that walks through the door around 5 p.m. and crashes on the couch no later than 10 p.m.

Oh, but summers.....I get to be a real live Mom and it's so exciting! Here was my day today....good stuff!

8:30- Brew some coffee in my pajamas, make Connor oatmeal, check e-mail while Connor watches cartoons.
9:00-11:00- Have "school" with Connor. Help him learn some new sight words, practice writing on lined paper, practice on some worksheets, color, sing, play some games.
11-11:45- Clean up the house a little, do some laundry, etc.
11:45-12- Make some healthy lunch
12-12:30- Finally shower and lay Connor down for a nap
12:30-3- I'm not sure what I did during this time....I should've been doing something productive, but I didn't.
3:00- Get Connor up from his nap, dressed, snack time, etc.,
3:30 -Go to Sonic for slushes!
4:00- Hang out with Greg at work
4:15-5- Go to the library and check out books
5:00-5:30- Make dinner
5:30- Talk Connor into eating Honey Lime Mahi Mahi and steamed broccoli
6:00- Make homemade peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies
6:30-8- Go for a walk with Connor while he rides his bike
8-0:30- Story time, play time
9:30- Connor bath time and bed
10:00- Curl up with a good book

Aaaahhh.... I feel rested, my house is under control, laundry is going, dishes are clean, I don't feel like I am being pulled in a thousand different directions, I don't feel like I am about to have a panic attack at any moment because I don't feel like I am doing anything well because there is just way too much going on.

Hmmm....I wonder at what point I will get bored : )