Top 12 Photos/Moments of 2010

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Everyone knows that I love pictures.  I love to take them/be in them, anything!  I can look back through pictures and remember how I felt at the exact moment the picture was taken.  Pictures are my way of marking certain moments in my life.  So here are the top 12 pictures/moments of 2010.

12.  This picture was taken on the night I knew that a certain chapter of my life was finally closed.  It was exhilarating, and freeing to realize that I was finally done hurting, done thinking "what if", done with him.  That moment when you realize that you're finally at the other end of the tunnel is weird, but gives you such a sense of empowerment knowing that if you can get through that, you can do anything.

11.  This picture evokes so many feelings.  It was taken at a time last year when I was just truly happy.  Taken with one of my favorite little girls, the only little girl in my life at that particular time.  The thing that makes me laugh about this picture, is if you look at my chest you can see the remnants of a very bad sunburn.  It was horrible.  I was stupid.  It looks like I have skin cancer there, and my skin has never been the same since that burn.  Chalk it up to stupidity, and pure bliss of summer days spent poolside.

10.  My college graduation day!  It was such a celebration that I was actually going to graduate, on time! I was so proud this day, and still am of completing such a feat.

9.  This night, Christi describes as the night I finally was back to being the "old me".  Pre-Relationship, 

Pre-Skiing accident, the old Jennifer that everyone loves.  This was dead day's eve last summer.  It was truly one of the most fun nights, I really did feel like the old me and have ever since. 

8.  This picture was taken in the middle of my first semester of my MAT classes.  I was incredibly stressed and so my parents whisked me away to spend a couple of days with family and great friends on the beaches of the East coast.  It was a much needed break, and I loved seeing my "other family".  

7.  The night began looking like the first picture above.  Ended, looking worst than the second picture.  This night was one of the greatest nights of the whole year.  We were celebrating Summer's 1 year anniversary with her hubby, and it was just a night of hanging out with friends and family. We saw old friends, made new ones, and most importantly made memories to last forever.

6.  Tressa and I decided to go out alone one night to have a girl's night just us two.  Whenever we go out just the two of us, it doesn't ever stay that way for long.  We met some really fun people and said goodbye to our blissful summer days.

5.  Tressa's 21st birthday.  FUN fun FUN night.  Enough said.

4.  Before a Gary Allen concert.  The look on my face describes perfectly how I felt.  True happiness and contentment.  

3.  This pictures perfectly sums up our 10+ year friendship.  I'm not exactly sure what we were talking about here, but these girls are pure life.  We are all so different, which makes us fight and bicker sometimes, but at the end of each day, at every milestone we are all there.  There's not one incredible memory that I have that these girls were not a part of somehow.  

2.  My beautiful sister and I at her first baby shower for Heelyn.  She looks gorgeous here.  She IS gorgeous.  We were so anxious for Heelyn's arrival, and just so happy with life.

1.  Our first glimpse at precious Heelyn Elyse.  I love the look in Kyle's face.  Pure joy.  Amazement.  At this moment we were completely worn out from worrying the past 3 hours as my sister's amazingly easy labor took a turn for the worst.  But here she is.  The product of my sister and Kyle's love.  Perfect.  Their lives, our lives, would never be the same.

Christmas Recap

We had a wonderful Christmas spending lots of time with family, and of course our new precious addition little Miss Heelyn.  Enjoy :)

Merry Christmas!

The past year has been one of great trial, but ultimately great celebration for our family.  We have been extremely blessed, and praise the Lord for His faithfulness and truth.  

Merry Christmas!

69

Ha... I bet that title post got a few weird looks.  I just couldn't resist!

So one of the great/horrible things about being a teacher is I hold all their little grades in my hands.  Well actually they CHOOSE their grades, but that's all together another topic.  In my students minds its up to me what grade I give them.  This week is semester test week....ahhh the joy of not having to teach, and the hasell of having to deal with grades.  Not to mention this is the first semester their grades count, and to some kids it's like I hold their entire future in my hands (not really, but oh the drama-filled life of a ninth grader).

I'm not mean.  For most of my students I will always bump their grades up if say they have a 79 or 89, taking into consideration how well they behaved in class and their willingness to work.

I had one student today who had a 69.  Lets call him Andy.  Andy is not one of my best behaved students. In fact, its a daily struggle between him and I in class.  He's just a bit immature for his age, and I'm sure he'll grow into himself eventually.  But right now, he drives me crazy.  He's not exactly the best student either.  So it wasn't really a shock to me when he had a 69.  What was is the conversation that followed as I was discussing his grade with him...

Me:  "Andy, you received a 60 on your semester exam and you have a 69 for your semester grade"
Andy:  "So that's a 70?"
Me:  "No, it's a 69"
Andy:  "No it's probably like a 69.7 which will round up to a 70"
Me:  "No, it's a 69"
Andy:  "But you'll round it up"
Me:  "Do you feel like you deserve a 70?"
Andy:  "Well how about this, unless you give me a 70, I'll hate you and make you miserable next semester"

Gees.... What ever happened to manners, and being nice to your teachers, or.... actually asking nicely??
He still has a 69 and that's where its staying.

I'd fall in love

The first time that I saw you,
Looking like you did
We were young, we were restless
Just two clueless kids

But if I knew then what I know now
I'd fall in love

You're on a bus in Chicago
Three rows to the left
You know my heart is reacing for you
But we never even met

If I knew then what I know now
I'd fall in love

'Cause love only comes
Once in a while
And knocks on your door
And throws you a smile

And takes every breath
Leaves every scar
Speaks through your soul
And Sings to your heart

But if I knew then what I know now
I'd fall in love

On a summer night in August
back seat of your car
in stead of trying to get to know me
You took it way too far

But if I knew then what I know now
I'd fall in love

Whoa, 'cause love only comes
Once in a while
And knocks on your door
And throws you a smile

And takes every breath
Leaves every scar
Speaks through your soul
And sings to your heart

But if I knew then what I know now
I'd fall in love

I used up a lot of chances
But you give them back
But it again it comes crawling
I'm gonna make it last

Love only comes once in a while
And knocks on your door
And throws you a smile

If I knew then what I know now

I'd fall in love.

Bob Marley Wrote This

“He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold on to him and give him the most you can. He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect more than he can give. Don’t analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you.”

-Bob Marley

Mojitos with The Wave

Last night was my Christmas party for my MAT cohort.  We're a pretty tight group so when you get all of us together, there's bound to be a lot of laughter, add in Dr. Wavering (the MAT program head) and Mrs. Hewitt (another one of our teachers), lots of margaritas, and well... lets just say I've never drank with my professors before but it was way too much fun!  You see Dr. Wavering, better known as "The Wave" by all of his students, is funny in a dry sense of humor, he never intends to be funny kinds of way.  But he is,  hilarious. It was great to get to catch up with everyone outside of class, and celebrate our masters program being over half-way done!  Woo hoo!!!

After leaving Mojitos, I stopped by Ben's house (Tressa's Boyfriend) because several friends were over there.  We decided to play catch phrase.  I love that game! Soooo funn.... I was laughing because it's so funny the different ways guys and girls communicate.  When a guy is describing something, he is very matter of fact.  Whenever it was us girls' turn, we would describe things in relationship to each other.  And of course we could never just use a couple of words to describe something!  It was a lot of fun!

Creepers

Most know that I teach 9th graders.  By far the HARDEST grade to teach, in my opinion.  But they're also the most fun at times, and the say and do the funniest things that just crack me up.

They're also little creepers.

I have a group of ninth grade guys who are infatuated with me.  Probably because I'm blonde, shorter than them, and older than them.  I try to ignore their "flirting" and try to be stern and mean to discourage it, but it doesn't really work.  It hasn't really bothered me, I mean after all they ARE guys,   until last week when we discovered that they had been discreetly taking pictures of me on their iphones and posting them on the internet!

CREEPERS!

I was horrified.  I mean first of all, who knows what those pictures look like?  Second, who knows where they are posting them.  That's so creepy!

So my mentor had to give a lecture to the guys about how weird/wrong it was to take pictures without someone knowing and how they could get into serious trouble for doing that.

The adventures in teaching....

I believe.

I believe in turning off all electronics an hr before I go to sleep.

I believe there's nothing that family and good friends can't help you get through.

I believe that adulthood is way overrated.

I believe in using good make up, skin care, and OPI nail polish.

I believe that God always hears my cry and wipes every tear.

I believe that my future husband is out there still.

Sometimes, I believe in soul mates.

I believe that men become more difficult the older they get.

I believe in indulgence.

I believe that nothing ever feels as good as pulling into the driveway of your childhood home.

I believe that no matter how many times my mom teaches me how to cook something, it will never taste as good as hers.

I believe in sweet tea, good wine, and a strong margarita.

I believe that bubble baths cure all matters of the heart.

I believe that God speaks to me through music.

I believe in joy.

I believe in our generation.

I believe that you can never have too many friends, purses, or shoes, but some only stay for certain seasons.

I believe that young love is the purest kind, college love is the most passionate, and adulthood love is the truest.

I believe that at the end of the day, you have to give everything up to God.

I believe in happiness, hope, and love.

Yes, I still believe in love.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lifetime

This time of the year means one thing.... Lifetime Movies :)

Yep, I get sucked in every time!  I mean who doesn't love a cheesy love story?  My mom got me hooked on lifetime a long time ago.... and now every Sunday afternoon you can bet my TV is turned on to lifetime while I clean or do whatever else it is I do on Sundays (nap).

The problem is, during the holidays they play really good Christmas movies every night.  It's really unfortunate because it prevents me from doing anything productive.  Right now I'm supposed to be working on my Fall portfolio for the MAT but nope, lifetime!  Ahh.... love...

So hopefully at some point I can turn off the television and turn on my brain to focus!  But if not... I refuse to stress.

So every Monday I have my MAT classes all day.  Sometimes they're really interesting, sometimes they're really boring.  To be perfectly honest, I just love Monday's because it's the one day that I don't have to listen to myself talk all day long.  Ha.  AND I get to each lunch in an actual restaurant with actual people.  Yay for that!

Anyway, so we were sitting in Cohort yesterday.  Cohort is pretty much like group therapy for graduate students.  We are in Cohort, pretty much complaining to our professor about the large portfolio we have due to him in less than 48 hours and he says, " You will graduate from this program if I have to drag you across that finish line myself".

We laughed.  But seriously, he actually means it.  It's nice to know that no matter what I WILL graduate, which sure as heck beats where I was last year this time :)

And that's all the randomness I have for tonight.

Hard

I never realized how much being a teacher would absolutely break my heart.  Every.  Single. Day.  I chose not to be a doctor because I know my personality.  I know my intense attachment to people.  I knew that I wouldn't be able to separate myself from my job.  Yet, I didn't realize that I would encounter the same type of situation being a teacher.

It's an incredible job, really.  The hours are wonderful, the work is stimulating.  For the (most) part my students are a joy.  I look forward to all the breaks that are unique to this job.

But I feel guilty.  Every night when I lay down.  Guilty that I never had the same struggles some of these kids face.  Guilty that my parents gave me everything I could ever desire both materially and emotionally.  Guilty that learning was never a struggle for me.  Guilty that having a relationship with my Lord seemed natural.  

I feel guilty that I'm somehow not doing enough.  Enough to touch them, to make a difference, to be a home away from home.  I feel as though somewhere along the way I will fail them, and for the most part this is true.  Some point throughout the year I will fail every single one of them.  I will fail to realize they are having problems, I will fail to teach them.  I will have a short temper, expect too much, expect too little.  

But yet I have the most incredible mission field.  150 teenagers every year.  To minister to, to touch, to inspire.  Yet somedays I realize that I am incredibly unqualified for the task.  Somedays I can barely solve my own mess of a life, much less attempt to help someone discover theirs.  

So where is the balance?  How do I teach content and inspire?  How do I make a difference, yet let it go when need be.  How do I love the unlovable?  Reach the withdrawn?  Inspire the discouraged?

How do I do my job, both my earthly one and my eternal one, while maintaining balance and peace.

Cherish Every Moment

I stole these pictures from my sister's blog.  Check it out here.  She's hillarious.

So here's a Heely update :)

She went to visit Santa last Saturday.

She's so precious in her little play area.  She LOVES to look at herself.

We joke that we are going to have to get her Botox someday, she ALWAYS scrunches her little face up.

One of the few pictures that she actually looks like my sister.

She wasn't very happy with her Halloween outfit.

She looks so tiny in this picture.  I can't believe how big she's already getting, I just want her to stay little.

She's my world.  I love her so much, I can only imagine the love my sister must feel for her.  She's little, simple, pure.  I want to protect her from all the harsh things she's going to face in this world, protect her perfect innocence.  It's funny how a little baby can make you understand more the love our God has for us, and how much He wants to protect us.

Odds and Ends

Today was a great day spent catching up with an old friend, it's really pretty funny.  We both went to Belmont our Freshman year and both transferred to Arkansas, yet we didn't know each other until our Senior year of college.  He lives in Ft. Smith now, so we took the day to catch up on life!

I have 2 finals tomorrow both of which I have no clue what is on them.  That's the funny thing about graduate school, its WAY less pressure and so the professors seem to forget to tell you what to study for the final.  I'm really not worried about it though, seems I only need a 20% to get an A in both classes.  PTL that after I finish my portfolio, I will be done with projects for a while!

I was grading a stack of papers tonight.  Normally, I don't bring papers home with me to grade.  It's a little piece of advice that was passed on to me from another teacher that I admire deeply.  He was one of my graduate professors this past summer.  He told me  that it's necessary to separate your school life from your home life, and he never brings papers home with him to grade.  So I took his advice to heart, and try to never bring papers home.  I'm pretty good about getting everything graded before school starts, or during my plan.  BUT my students did a lab on Friday and it would be beneficial to them if they knew how they did on it before their test, so I broke my rule and brought papers home.  As I set staring at the stack I briefly contemplated giving them all 100's in order to not have to grade, but I knew this would not be helpful to them or me so grade I did.  While watching lifetime, of course :)

Sorry for the boring blog post but I'm not in a particular insightful kind of mood.  Just simple.  I'm simply ready for Christmas break to get here!

Over it

The nightmare that was last week is finally over.   I had an assessment package due last night at midnight.  I already had half of it completed and was just going to finish up the other half last night (Yes, it was due on a Friday night, ugh).  The last half was just a lot of excel work.  A LOT.  More than I had expected.  So I started working on it at 6pm and didn't finish until around 1 am.  Luckily, my teacher said it was fine that I turned it in an hour late.  The stress of last night reminded me why I'm glad I'm finished with undergraduate work.  That type of stress all the time was just too much for me.

Today my house needs some much needed TLC.  Since last week was such a nightmare, important duties such as running the dishwasher, taking out the trash, laundry, were ignored.  Hopefully later today I can do a Christmas post and show ya'll what the apartment looks like at Christmas time!

Have a wonderful Saturday :)

Eric

I would tell you all about my bad day and how a particular class period of students made me cry, but I choose not to remember the bad parts of teaching.  Only the good.  So let me tell you a good story.

I've never had any training with Special Education students.  Somehow, though, I'm really good at working with them.  My Grandfather has been a special education teacher for over 40 years.  I guess it's just in my blood.

So I have a class period with several special education students.  I love them so much.  They're such a challenge, but can also be so rewarding.

Let me tell you about *Eric (name changed of course)

*Eric is autistic.  He stays in trouble constantly for not doing work, or just generally misbehaving.  My first day meeting *Eric he tried to convince me he couldn't write.  I knew this wasn't the case, and so I pushed him.  I pushed him as hard as I push all my other students.  *Eric is smart, when he wants to be.  But I made a mistake with *Eric.  My first day working with him, I stood by him as he attempted to do his work, but as I stood by him he absolutely refused to do anything.  I remembered that sometimes Autistic children have random things that make them either angry, or non-responsive.  I had a hint that this might be *Eric's.  So I told him I was going to walk across the classroom, and when I returned I wanted him to have one question answered.  I walked across the classroom to check on other students, and sure enough when I returned he had answered the question.  This began mine and *Eric's game.  Each day I tell him what needs to be done when I return to his desk.  Each day he completes his work.

One day, I was doing demonstrations using little plastic cups.  I had given each table a set of cups to play with.  As I was collecting the cups I noticed a cup missing from *Eric's table.  I asked *Eric if he had seen the cup, but of course he was unresponsive to me.  So I told him if he knew where the cup was, would he please set it on my desk when I walked across the room.  I turned around, and sure enough *Eric jumped up and placed the cup on my desk.

Remembering that day still makes me smile.  As does remembering the look on my mentors face when he asked me why *Eric had jumped up to place a plastic cup on my desk.

*Eric is a challenge, and requires a large amount of time and attention, but I love watching him walk into my classroom everyday though knowing that I have the ability to reach him, and just maybe, make a difference in his life.

What Money Can't Buy

This post is somewhat ironic since the last one was about the little pleasures in life that I love.  Well... here's what brings me joy, that money can't buy.

*  Daily pictures from my sister of my beautiful niece.
* Talking to my Mom on the phone constantly.
* When my roommate gets really excited about something that's happening in my life and shreeks and jumps up and down.
*  My students yelling "Hey Ms. Bradley" as they walk down the hallway with their friends.
*  NOT having to set my alarm on Friday nights.
*  Sunday lunches after Church.
* Text messages from my best friends, randomly, at the exact moments that I need them.
* Funny, yet predictable text messages from my guy friends.
* The moment when you see a picture from a moment you'll remember forever.
* Sharing in life's moments with friends.
* Crying over the phone, with someone who knows exactly how you feel.
* Everyone who tells me constantly that I need to get my butt back home when I'm finished up here.
* My Grandma reassuring me that I'll "just know" when I meet "the one"
* Visits with my Grandparents.
* Praying so hard, with such devotion for someone that doesn't even know you're praying for them.
* Text messages from my Dad that say "Love ya girly"
* Driving on the Air Force Base and feeling such appreciation for the sacrifice that my Dad, and all our military have made.
* Sitting in my apartment, remembering last summer when I got to pick out everything that would go in it.  Remembering all the visits my Mom made up here until it was just perfect.
* Looking at my degree, knowing what it took to achieve it.
* The smell of clean laundry.
* When Tressa randomly decides to go pick up coffee on Saturday mornings for us.
*  Waking up in the middle of the night, only to realize I have 4 more hours to sleep.
*  Going to work every day, knowing I have the ability to change someone's life.
* My panera rewards card... enough said.
* Christmas Music
*When the perfect song comes on the radio and I sing it at the top of my lungs.
* Looking at old pictures.
* That moment, when you know that everything you have gone through has been worth it.  When you know that you finally made it out to the other side.

" A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit"  Proverbs 15:13

What I'm Currently Loving

It's been a while since I've done one of these posts, so I thought I'd let ya'll know some of the little necessities in my life.

Ok so this has a story behind it.  This is my absolute favorite body wash--Almond by The Body Shop.  Smell it and you'll be in heaven too!  So I used it obsessively and all my guy friends would always comment on how good I always smelled.  (Note:  Guys always like things that smell like something sweet they could eat, haha)  Well, The Body Shop stopped carrying it a couple of years ago and I've been at a loss over body wash ever since.  I've never found anything that I like as much.  Imagine my delight when I walked into The Body Shop with my Mom a couple of weeks ago and found this sitting on the shelves!  Bliss!  I'm considering buying stock in it :)

Yes, I'm a Starbucks girl.  Nothing makes me happier than getting to go through the drive through at Starbucks and order my favorite "White Chocolate Mocha with Soy Milk".  I'm craving one just thinking about it.  Well since we all know Starbucks can get a little pricey, I only cave in about once a week.   The next best thing however, is homemade coffee out of my Starbucks mugs.  They keep the coffee really warm, and I love all the cute designs they come in.

Everyone in my family is a lover of Tyler candles.  They are seriously all over our houses.  My favorite is Warm Sugar Cookie because it smells like cookies just out of the oven.  This is another one of those smells that guys always like too.  Plus, Tyler candles last a really long time, which is essential when you burn candles every day like I do!

I use Philosophy skin care, and not only do  I love the way they make my skin feel, I love reading the little sayings on the front of every container.  They always put me in a good mood and give me a different perspective on life!

I love lavender scented anything because it's incredibly relaxing.  Bath & Body Works have lavender vanilla scented bubble bath and lotion.  It's heavenly.  I take a bubble bath with it every night and it completely relaxes me and calms my mind.  I put the lotion on right before I go to bed and I sleep like a baby every time.  

Things I Miss Now that I'm a Teacher

1.  Sonic Happy Hour
2.  Being able to skip class
3.  Restaurant Lunch Specials
4.  Being able to meet friends for lunch
5.  My non-teacher wardrobe.

And since you never wanna end on a negative note... here's 5 things I LOVE about being a teacher:

1.  I get off work way before most people.
2.  My students always keep me entertained.
3.  You never get lonely, or bored at work.
4.  The days go by extremely fast.
5.  I feel like I'm contributing to society.

What I'm Reading

I just finished this book over Thanksgiving.  It's simply amazing.  I normally don't like to read Southern African American fiction, primarily because the language is pretty difficult to get used to (true southern dialect).  You get used to it pretty fast in this book though and it's definitely a page turner.  I never even realized that white families still had hired "help" in the 1960's.  After I finished this book, I was talking about it with my Grandmother and Grandfather and they began to tell me stories of their "help" when they were growing up.   It was fascinating to me.   Wonderful, Wonderful book.

This is next on my list, but I won't let myself read it until I am finished with all my coursework for this semester.  It's a love/hate relationship with me and Nicholas Sparks' books.  I love them, but someone always has to die and I'm always left depressed for several days.  Nicholas Sparks' does have an uncanny sense of writing the most incredible, you-never-saw-it-coming, love stories.  After all, who doesn't love a good love story?

Of course I had to have a Karen Kingsbury book in this list.  This is her most recent book and it stems off of an idea in a different book.  I love it when books are interrelated.  This will be an easy, quick read for some Sunday afternoon over the break.

I've read "Tuesday's with Morrie" probably 10 times at least.  Mitch Albom's writing has a way of stirring you from the inside and reassess your life's goals and desires.  Can't wait.

This is simple.  A Man of God.  There aren't many men out there who are true men of God.  I don't want a legalist, I don't want those who say they are, I don't want someone to be one because they know that's what I want.  

I want a real Man of God.

Because if he loves God, then He'll know how to love me.  

Thankful

I'm a little late because I try to stay off the computer when I'm home, but late is better than never!

What I'm thankful for this year:

• My family.  Over the last year I have come to appreciate my family so much more and in a different way.  My parents are simply amazing.  It literally brings tears to my eyes just to think about how incredible they are and how much they do for me and my sisters.  My parents will jump in the car at the drop of a hat and spend the weekend in Fayetteville with me if I'm having a bad week.  They give me the most amazing advice, and I don't know how I would have gotten through the past year without the wisdom and words of encouragement of my Mom.  My Dad is the most amazing father, husband, grandfather.  I would be so lucky if I marry a man who comes anywhere close to what my Dad is.  He spoils his girls too :)  I blessed to be so close to my Grandparents, and that they are still living.  Their wisdom is unmatched, and I love having grown up with my Grandparents present at every recital, cheerleading event, pageant, graduation and so much more.  My Grandpa will randomly call me and leave me the sweetest voicemails about how proud he is of me.  My Grandma is always there to offer me advice on any of life's hardships.  I love the fact that I'm so close with my sisters and talk to one of them almost everyday.  I love growing up having sisters, its a friendship unlike any other.
• Heelyn, our miracle baby.   Why she's a miracle will remain private, but I am so thankful for my precious niece.  She's beautiful, and healthy.  She has shown me so much about love and life.  It's been an amazing process watching my Sister become the most amazing Mother to this little girl, I can't wait to watch her grow up and become everything God intends.
• My degree.  Earning a college degree is always an accomplishment, but I'm so incredibly proud to have earned my degree.  I'm the first child in my family to earn a college degree, and I think it was as much of an accomplishment for my parents as it was for me.  It's also incredibly special to me because of the hurdles and obstacles I had to overcome last year to finish college.  I will always particularly cherish that little piece of paper.
• I am thankful to have earned my fellowship that allows me to attend Graduate school completely paid for.  Graduate school has already opened so many doors for me and I enjoy it so much.  I'm thankful that at the end of the program, I will not have any student debt and a Master's Degree!
• I am so thankful for my amazing friends.  Over the last year, they have been there for me in every way possible.  I have cried on all their shoulders, and they have offered me countless encouragement, prayer, and guidance.  I know that having even one great friend is a huge blessed, so I'm incredibly blessed to have the group of girl friends that I do.
• I'm thankful for my guy friends.  God always has funny ways of reminding me that He loves me and cares about me and it's often through my guy friends.  Their random texts, phone calls, nights out and everything else keep me sane, and always laughing.
• My relationship with my Savior.  No matter how many times I may screw things up, He is always there, and He has my best intentions at hard.  Also, no matter how hard I might try to do things my own way, He never lets me.  This I am thankful the most for.
• My students.  They keep me on my toes, inspire me, teach me far more than I ever teach them.  Remind me of the goodness there is in life, as well as remind me to be thankful for life's blessings. They show me life from every perspective, and keep me laughing day after day.

Story Time

This is how I feel....

Last week I had to turn in Chapter 1 & Chapter 3 of my dissertation.  Chapter 1 had already been previously graded from which I only missed 1.4 pts.  Now my professor would re-grade Chapter 1 and grade Chapter 3.  Yes, Chapter 3.  Not Chapter 2.  That will come later on in the story.  Still with me?  Ok, good.

So I collect Chapter 1 & Chapter 3 which have now been graded and much to my shock I received not nearly quite the grade I was hoping for (Ok, it still was an 86% but my grade was not B material.  It was A material).  Not to mention my professor had changed his mind and decided that now he wanted to dock points on my Chapter 1.  After he graded it.  Not cool.  Evidently once you're in Grad school professors feel they can do this kind of stuff to you.

So I emailed my professor telling him that I needed to schedule a meeting with him last week to discuss my paper.  My Chapter 2 was due this week and I didn't want to continue to do the wrong thing.  

This was on Tuesday of Last Week.

Wednesday..  No hear from professor.

Thursday...No hear from professor.

Friday... Nothing.

Nada.

Jack Squat.

In the age of iphones, there's really not a reason to leave an email un-responded to.  Come on Prof.  I know you check your emails everyday.

So I attempted to read his scribble handwriting and correct my chapters to the best of my knowledge.

This morning I marched right up to the front and asked him why he did not respond to me.

**Shocked face, gasp, oh the horror***

He said, "What do you mean I never responded.  I ALWAYS email my students back"

Me, "Well evidently you don't."

He then agreed to let me come by his office to talk and turn in my paper tomorrow.  Mind you, I already put 20+ hours into this chapter this weekend.  But, glad to have help I agree to go to his office and discuss my dissertation.  

I arrive in his office and he tells me my topic is simply too complicated and I need to make it simpler.  What?  I thought we were in Graduate school here.  When is complicated a bad thing.

Overall, the meeting was positive though (except for the fact that I now have 10+ more hours of work to do).

As I'm leaving I tell him to make sure to give me my five points for turning my paper in on time (we get five easy points to being on the ball).  He says he won't give me my points because it won't be on time tomorrow.  

Me, mad " If it wasn't for you not responding, I would have had my paper done on time.  Not to mention I did have a copy of it finished this morning.  YOU said I could turn it in tomorrow in order to meet with you because YOU did not respond to my email"

He says, "I'll have the points with you"

I say, "No.  I want all my points.  This is not my fault."

He says, "Well really the points don't matter."

Well yes they do because you moved your grading scale up and in a 100pt class 5 pts really DO matter.

Moral of the story:  LOVE graduate school.  Tolerate the professors.

Here's my rant.

I read somewhere that the average age for marriage for a woman is 27 and for a man is 29.  This literally made me laugh, and I began to wonder what the average age in the South would be.  Well, I couldn't find any statistics on that, but the South DOES have the highest divorce rate in the country.  Hmm... could it be because traditionally Southern women get married at a much younger age than the rest of the country?  I guess we'll never know.  What I do know is that every time I get on facebook, I see more and more engagements, pending weddings, or wedding photos.  I'm not cynical, I think marriage is a great thing.... WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT.  The problem with my generation, in my particular area of the country, is that girls think something is wrong with them if they are not getting married a weekend after they graduate college.  This is crazy!!  I hate this!  What happened to enjoying one moment at a time?  Why can't you learn to be independent and learn who you are before rushing off to be someone else's wife?  Do you even know where your income is coming from?  Sorry if this sounds harsh, I just feel too many women are disillusioned by what they think marriage is, or they only think they're complete if they have a ring on their finger and someone else's last name.   This is not true.  Don't even get me started on the baby thing.  Whatever happened to waiting several years after you were married to start trying to have kids?  Now days, most couples start trying soon after the first year of marriage.  This is crazy.  It's like they become bored with their lives and want the next big thing.  Now, I know I'm stereotyping here and making assumptions.  But if you're 22 years old, you can WAIT to have kids.  Having a baby changes EVERYTHING.  Enjoy the time alone with your husband, save for your future, take trips together, enjoy spontaneity.  That all goes out the window once you have a child.  

That's my rant.

Catch-Up

Sorry I've been slightly MIA.  Last week was our "work week" for the MAT program.  Basically, we get one week off in between each rotation to catch up on sleep (much needed), catch up on projects (very needed), and work on our dissertation (crucial).  I chose to cruise on out of Fayetteville and spend my week in the Central park of Arkansas, loving on my little niece and helping my sister as she recovers (broken ribs from her c-section...ouch!).

I love this little cutie

She's a mighty good little sleeper too... haha

Other than spending time with little Heely, I was able to get caught up on all my work.  Mom and I also did some much needed shopping...haha.  

My sister looks absolutely incredible, I can only hope to look half as good as she does after I have my first child :)

Are you sick of Heelyn pictures yet?

My dad is seriously a baby hog.  He LOVES little babies.... it's really quite funny.  You have to steal Heelyn away from him if he's around.

See... isn't she gorgeous?  Her and Kyle had their first date night away from Heelyn this past Friday.  Shannon was so anxious to leave Heelyn (with her mimi mind you, Kyle's mom) that she made Kyle take her somewhere really quick so they wouldn't be gone too long.  My mom banned them from talking about Heelyn while they were away, haha.  She says that's the key to a good relationship, to not always talk about the kids when you're out on dates.  I think she might be on to something :)

Sorry if I bored you with Heelyn pictures, but I'm so in love with her!  They are coming to visit this weekend and are staying with me, I'm so excited!!

Well... I start my new rotation this week at Central Junior High in Springdale.  Wish me luck!

Sad Week

I'm supposed to be writing the next chapter of my dissertation, but that can wait.

Last week I was so so sick!  It came on suddenly and left just as quickly.  But not getting to see my guy for several days was not fun (I didn't want to get him sick, since he leaves for NYC next week).  Not to mention the thought of not getting to see my precious Heely next week if I was STILL sick was making me really sad.  Add on to that my last day at my first rotation was Friday, let's just say I was a ball of emotions last week.  Poor guy for putting up with it.

On thursday, I had my students feel out an evaluation on how they felt of me as a teacher.  Here are some of their sweet/funny responses:


"What was your favorite lesson I have taught?"

• "My favorite lesson was the skeletal system because we made a model"
• "When we drank the kool-aid" 
• "When we made the s'mores"
• "The model that I finished"

"What is your favorite memory of having me as a teacher?"

• "That you always help me a lot and made science really fun for everyone"
• "That you were always trying to help"
• "That you always helped everybody"
• "When you taught us kinetic energy, I really understand it a lot better than I did last year"
• "The first day I was here, you were the kindest teacher here"
• "The party"
• "When we ate the s'mores"
• "When I had a question, you were always there"
• "On your first day, everyone asked if your eyes were real or not"

"What is one thing I should change in order to be a better teacher?" 

• "Getting everyone quiet, p.s do not be afraid to yell"
• "I think you shouldn't change anything"
• "You're fine just the way you are"
• "You should come teach on Mondays instead of going to your college classes"
• "We could make s'mores more often"

"What would you like me to remember about you?"

• "I want you to remember me like one of the students you helped the most"
• "My name"
• "That I was loud"
• "As the kid with the jacked-up knee and the awesome handwriting"
• "How I am a bad kid"

"If you have anything else you would like me to know, tell me here"

• "You're the best teacher"
• "I would like that one day you could come back"
• You were one of my favorite teachers I have ever had and I hope to have you again"
• "Don't go"
• "Without you everyone will feel like they're in a trash with a lot of diapers in it."
• "You're going to be a great teacher and you have a good sense of fashion"

It made me so sad on Friday to have to leave them, and I will definitely always remember them.  They have left such an imprint on my heart and I just hope that somehow I have impacted their lives as well.

Poor Little Heely

Poor baby Heely has a fractured collar bone.

I know... it's the saddest,  most pathetic thing ever. Like I mentioned before, my sister had to have an emergency c-section.  Baby Heely was stuck in the birth canal and in order to get her out, one nurse had to sit on my sisters chest, and another had to push baby girl out in the other direction.  Somewhere along the way her little collar bone was fractured.

I take comfort in knowing that babies can't feel as much as we can, but still... Poor Little Thing.  She screams every time we try to change her clothes.   The doctor said she'll be good as new in a few weeks, and until then we will just need to be extra cautious with her little arm.  So pray for a speedy recovery for our sweet little girl.

Get Excited!

I just remembered....

A precious precious package came in the mail for me last week....

My DIPLOMA!!!

Oh.  My.  Gosh.

I am so stinking excited.

My parents always told me how much a college degree would mean to me, but I never thought it would mean this much.  It probably means so much because of all the hurdles I had to jump through to graduate on time.  But it is the single material thing I am the most proud of!  I can't wait to hang it in my office someday!

Half My Heart

Half my heart is in Central Arkansas still.  I didn't realize that leaving my precious niece would be so difficult,but it is.  I'm so jealous of everyone that gets to visit her and spend time with my sister.  Right now they are staying at my moms until Shannon recovers, and I'm so sad I can't be there to keep them company!

On a different note,  tomorrow is my first formal Pathwise observation!  I never get nervous for observations, but I do get a tad bit anxious for everything to be perfect and for my kids to be the angels that I know that can be :)   So if you think about it tomorrow, say an extra prayer for me!

Well, I'm pretty tired and need to get to school early in the morning, so a short blog post it is!

Heelyn Elyse Hanks

My precious baby niece arrived into this big world on Friday, October 22nd,2010 at 9:02 p.m.  She weighed 8 lbs 2 oz (exactly how much I weighed!) and was 21 1/2 inches long.  She's absolutely perfect.

My poor sister was in labor since 7:30 that morning and pushed for 3 1/2 hours determined to have her naturally.  She ended up having to have an emergency c-section.  We are just thankful they are both ok, happy, and healthy!

Very proud Grandma!

I'm so completely in love with her already.  She's precious and absolutely beautiful.  I love that she has my nose too, of all things!

Her poor little head is slight cone-shaped due to being in the birth canal for so slow.  You can't see but she has very strawberry blonde hair.  So.  Cute.

Right now baby and mom are doing wonderful.  They were released from the hospital today and Kyle, Shannon, and Heelyn are staying with my parents while Shannon finishes recovering.  My mom is thrilled to have a full week to spend loving on her grandbaby.

Baby Heelyn is on her way!

So I'm sitting in class--a class in which my professor insisted that we bring our computers to, bad idea-- and I'm very very bored as we analyze test scores and use excel to do way to many complicated math equations.  I thought I became a science teacher so I wouldn't have to do complicated math anymore.  Not so much so.  Anyway, so I'm bored and I thought I would update my blog since I seem to be straggling at that lately.  I might also change the look of it around.  Just maybe.

I got the greatest phone call EVER today!

My sister is in the early stages of labor!!!  She's dilated at 2 cm and the doctor told her if baby Heelyn doesn't come on her own, he will induce her on Friday!

Woo hoo!!!!

I get to meet and hold my precious niece this week!!!  I am SOOOOO excited!

I can hardly sit still I'm so excited!

Sunday

Sunday is my favorite day of the week.

My guy works in the world of retail, and as most know, those hours aren't always the greatest.  He typically works late nights and weekends and this sometimes makes seeing each other difficult because I work Mon-Fri 7:30-4ish.  But one of the things that amazes me the most about him is that I never have to ask for his attention.  I am his top priority, and I love it.  haha.

So back to Sundays.

My guy knows that I love Sundays, but in the beginning of our relationship he always had to work on Sundays.  Recently he told me that he switched his schedule so he would always have Sundays off and they would be my day.  Oh.... how I loved this.

No guy has ever done that before for me and it makes me feel so special.

So I love Sundays because they are "our" days.  We go to church, go to lunch, and then just do whatever.  All day.  It's absolutely wonderful.

And yes, we are still waiting on this little bundle of joy to make her appearance....

I can't wait to meet her!

As a Family

If there's one thing my mom always taught me growing up... it's this.

Whenever things got tough, whenever bad things happened, whenever we didn't know how we could possibly get through another day, she always told me we had to pick up the pieces and we'd get through it, "as a family".

When my sister got pregnant, unexpectedly at a young age,  "We'll get through this... as a family"

When my beloved Uncle died.  "We'll get through this, as a family"

Divorce.

Breaking my leg.

Having my heart broken.

Sudden Deaths of Close Friends

Pain

Fear

Loss

That's right... "As a family"

You see... Any problem that has affected one member of my family, has affected us all.  We all got through those difficult times by relying on each other, and relying on God.

So I knew today when I got that phone call that she'd tell me those words I'd heard all my life...

"We'll get through this, as a family"

And that's just what we'll do.  Because, you see, although life might throw twists and turns along the way.... it's always a beautiful ride.   And while cancer is the single, scariest word our human minds can process, it's not scary to God.  It gives Him the opportunity to show up in a BIG way.  And that's just what we need....

Document This

Let's document this!

For the FIRST time in my life, I actually got schoolwork done on a SATURDAY!!!

Ok, maybe its not the first time... but normally when I say I'm going to do something productive on a Saturday I procrastinate until Sunday and am super stressed (and hating that I didn't do it on Saturday) on Sunday.  

But seriously,  I got my first chapter 95% done!  Woo hoo! This is awesome because it means I will wake up with a fresh mind tomorrow and can go back in and add a few more thoughts to it.  I love being able to write this way because I always get more creative the second go around, unfortunately my procrastinating self doesn't allow for much of this!

So... YAY for me!!!

Distractions on a Saturday Afternoon

I'm supposed to be writing the first chapter of my dissertation, of which I've written only 4 sentences.  I guess it's a good thing I decided to get started on this on a Saturday instead of procrastinating until the usual Sunday which I'm infamous for.  Instead of writing about ESL study strategies, I would rather be doing a million other things such as....

Venturing to Starbucks for a seasonally Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Walking around the Farmer's market as I hear the familiar rumble of Bikes, Blues & BBQ which graces my lovely little town with the presence of thousands of bikers every October.

Finding great deals at Dillard's sales today.

Getting caught up on writing up lesson plans for my portfolio that were previously taught.

Oh well...  it's back to the drawing board.

On a brighter note though... I am very proud to say that since I have started teaching fully on my own I have only brought home one stack of papers to grade.  A very wise teacher once told me to never bring home papers to grade, and I hope to take his advice for my own teaching career.  It's all about taking advantage of the precious stolen moments throughout the day and arriving early each morning to get a jump start on the day!  I'm so thankful that I don't have thousands of papers to grade each night along with the other million things I must do every day!

Shannon's Maternity Photos- Sneak Preview

Could my sister be any more gorgeous?  Oh and it doesn't help that Summer Colclasure is an amazing photographer as well!