Christmas

Hey!

WOW! It's Christmas day already...I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. Before I know it, it'll be 2008! I spent the day with my family at my house and we had fun opening presents together...it's great to have children in the house to enjoy the excitement Christmas brings with having them around. I can't wait to see my own children someday on Christmas morning. I also went to visit my dad's side of the family and talked with them for a while. God has definitely been merciful on me and the life I've had. It's a completely different world when I walk into their home. I also found out my cousin is going to be starting basic training for the Army come January 15th. I'm not sure how I'm feeling right now...it's all a little hard to take in. Please be praying with me as I come to terms with this an sort out my feelings.

On Sunday, we had a "WINDY" day here which is not surprising...it was hurricane like winds. I thought I was going to blow away! I loved having snow around me though and even though it felt like 0* and was only like 14* ---I really enjoyed it!!!!!!

Blessings to all on this day!

Time to Relax....

...or so I say now! I leave for home in less than 24 hours and can't wait to go! It's been a really busy semester and I'm ready to get away for some much needed change of scenery!

I am thinking of those people that don't have family to spend the holidays with. It's so sad and I pray that we would each think of these people on a day when we are blessed with family to surround us. If you know someone, at least give them a call and let them know that you are thinking of them! :)

I officially have completed preschool and am getting some last days in with my Kindergarten class! I forgot what the excitement is like in school just before the holidays....."CHAOS"--as my students would say! (Their smart!) I hope that they are able to have a wonderful Christmas with their families! :) I'll miss them next semester for sure!!!!!!!!!! :)

Final days....

...of preschool are upon me. As frustrating as it has been at times, I can't say that it has been horrible. I've made great contacts and I have really enjoyed helping in the office of all places! :) My 3's were great too and I really made some good friends there!

I am excited that I leave on Friday to go home! I can't believe Christmas is already here....I only have one present picked out...and I still have to finish it! EEKS! Not a good thing. Oh well, it's the love and thought that counts and I'm excited about it!

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family! :)

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!!!!

Well, it's official...I'm a crazy 23 year old now! I had a great party and really enjoyed having a simple chili, movie and cake party at my apartment. I'm a low-key girl most of the time so this was just right for me! Thank you to my roommate for hosting and all my friends for coming....except one person who didn't show up...hmmm....I guess he'll just have to take me out sometime! haha! I'm just kidding--well, maybe...

I loved being with my Kindergarteners today and am enjoying life! Tomorrow is the community group Christmas party! OOOO! FUN!!! It's Italian night!

I can't wait to go home on the 21st! I miss my family and all my friends back home! :)

New School

Right now I'm at a preK in town and it's been fun. I will be teaching 2nd grade next semester! It shall be a long semester with all the projects I have to do for school but it will work out just fine! :) Hope everyone is doing well! :)

Thanksgiving....Be Thankful

My family all came in for Thanksgiving! It was great to have them here and 'host' my first Thanksgiving! We went to visit family in West Tennessee too and we hadn't seen some of them for 14 years! WOW! I really had a good break from teaching which I think I needed to have to think clearly and give my body a rest.

Pray for continued strength and endurance for the next couple of days as I finish up large projects for classes!

Just here...

I'm just relaxing and trying to get things in order. I start preschool next Monday and am excited about the opportunity to be in a younger classroom. I think I want to be either in Pre-K or Kindergarten teaching so we'll see how this goes. After my last experience, I would LOVE to do Kindergarten forever! I know there will be good years and tough years but I feel affirmed by my last placement, that this is what God has had planned for me!

I have written poetry, watched a movie, done homework, made appointments, practiced guitar and piano and sorta caught up on life...tomorrow will be a simliar day...I think I'll do some painting too.

See ya on the flip side...let me know if you wanna chill BU friends!

A Sad and Joyful day...

On Friday, I had to say goodbye to my first class. This is a memorable class and I will never forget the amazing experience I had with them. Friday was a day of many tears and smiles and hugs and lots of love. I never thought that as an intern, I would experience the amazing care and love of so many families and children. I was lucky enough to have a great present from the class....many supplies to start my own classroom next year....with God's blessing. I received many books and gifts from my students. They were truly amazing! I never expected it! I pray that I will someday be able to do that for my own children's teachers.

I have been unsure of what to do with myself for the past 36 hours or so because I have nothing I have to do, no where to go and I have free time for an entire week! I plan to take this time to truly relax and do some creative projects around the house. I may do some painting and if I do, I'll try to remember to post it so you can see it. I've been getting back into piano and have a desire to write songs and collaborate with a friend of mine that has a vision and is a really good song writer. I want it all to be for the glory of God and His Kingdom.

Please continue to pray that I would live a life truly pleasing to Christ. Below you will find a link to a couple who is striving to live for Christ and the incredible journey they are on.

thewheelerjourney.blogspot.com

Honoring Christ the best I know how,
DLK

I can't believe it!

Today I met with my principal and she had great things to say about the lesson of mine that she observed. I hope she understands the excitement that I have had with my experience! Let's see if it turns into a job offer.... I SURE HOPE SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Only one week left...

What a crazy thing! I only have one week left at my current school. I have been so blessed with the school I am at and the students that I have. I hope that my next placements in preschool and 2nd or 3rd grade are just as wonderful...but I don't know if that is possible. I have had a busy week being observed by my principal that seems to have gone well, observing in other classrooms to see what other teachers are doing, and being observed by the program coordinator. I feel really good about the skills I have strengthened and those I have acquired. I can't believe that I have been teaching for 3 months already. To be extact, 61 days...we keep track in Kindergarten!

I am going to have a very hard week this week because I will be preparing for the separation. I think I have a little separation anxiety anyways so I'm going to miss my kids! I'm thankful that I get to go on the field trip with them even after I'm gone! It will be wonderful!

Other than that, I'm still loving my roommate and she is now engaged! Congrats guys! I will miss her when she is gone in April! So, if you know someone who will need housing around then...let me know! :)

What a wonderful day!

Well, last weekend was quite a doozie with all the lesson plans and the literacy file that I finished almost half of (it takes a long time!) and math projects. I definitely needed a break by the end. But not to worry, I find myself with much more time to relax and breath during the week....haven't done that in a while. I had some homework last night for my class but was able to finish that and get in bed at a decent hour.

I know that many of you had been praying for my interview for my program today. Thank you! It went really well and they said I am way at the top of the group with my portfolio and my skills...finally I am excelling at something! :) Anyways, I feel very good about what I have ahead and can not wait to see what my next experience is like. Please pray for continued success in all I have to do. Also pray that I don't ball my eyes out during my last day at my current school on November 16th.

Things are great and I'm flying high to the sky! :)

What a Week!

You never really know how much you can fit in a short amount of time until you have to! Monday we had our parent conferences and it was an amazing experience. Most of the parents in my room are amazing...I'm truly being spoiled with such a great class and parents! We have, though, had a parent already ask for another conference after we stayed late for her on Monday! EEKS! We'll see how that goes on Tuesday. Then it was a busy week of after school activities including professional development and class that stressed everyone out! On Thursday morning, bright and early, in the worst rain we've had in 6 months or so, I had my formative evaluation where my supervisor (don't get me started on her) and mentor teacher filled out a professional development survey of how I am doing. It was good to have more feedback from my mentor...didn't get anything extra from my supervisor.

Last night and today have been spent doing my literacy file (composed of way too much to write here!), writing all my lessons plans for the week, writing a math lesson plan for class and preparing my two mini-lessons for math on Monday. It's going to be a busy week any way you slice it. Tomorrow will be spent paying bills, finishing some tax stuff, finishing this week's lesson plans and the math mini-lessons. I hope I can rest at some point!

Just a memory of the summer....

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to post this picture because I think it's fun and to give you a little taste of some fun I had this summer! Since I don't have Facebook (for those of you that have no idea what this is...GOOD!), I have to be able to post some pictures somewhere! My family and I took an adventure and went to a rodeo! It was such a blast since I'm a country girl at heart livin' in the city these days! Anyways, I loved eating GOOD, hearty hamburgers and wearin' my cowgirl hat and dancin' with the fam! I really had a great time. It was like I was in another world while I was there. We sat on a hillside and the excitement and enthusiasm was contagious! I hope to go to another one sooner rather than later...if you know of a good one...let me know...I'll check it out. I know that at least one person has already laughed at me (in love, of course) for my excitement about this trip but I have to say...it was amazing! :)

I spent the summer babysitting my little heart out and loving every minute because I could go places and do things with the kids more than ever before! Many of you were a part of the financial blessings I received this summer and I can't express my gratititude for you and what you did! Many blessings to ya'll!

YEEHAW!!!!!!!!!

Busy Months

The last couple of months have gone by faster than I ever imagined and not the way I imagined it either.

In August, it was a whirlwind of events as I was initiated into the wonderful world of teaching and being a full time "mom" of sorts! haha! Luckily I've cleaned up enough children to not be freaked out about bathroom accidents! :) Anyways, I love my mentor and she has been an amazing part of my internship. I can't imagine what it will be like without her there to help guide me. My team has also been an amazing part of my life. I am loving it. I will start in a preschool classroom after Thanksgiving. I can't believe the semester is almost half over already.

In early September, I was blessed with a new roommate. Her name is Megan and she is great. As you'll see below, I have had a rough month or so and she's been a huge blessing. She is almost engaged and her boyfriend is a great friend too---he is here and wants to say 'hi' to everyone. I've enjoyed getting to know them and will miss her when she moves out next year.

Then on September 11, my life changed in a way I can't explain. I knew the day would come but I didn't realize the impact of the death of my great-grandmother. I went home to be with my family and the time was definitely something I needed. I just hope that I can be as poised and confident as she was even to her last breath. The following weekend, I went home to read at her memorial service and it was beautiful. I was grateful for having such a wonderful family and great friends to help me through this difficult time. Thank you!

Then this week I came down with strep throat and it knocked me down. I haven't been that sick in a long time. I haven't been to the doctor because I've been so sick either since I was like 2! It was hard to have to go to the doctor. I was out the end of this week and now I'm on penicillin and feelin' great! Well, as good as I can right now!

I'm looking forward to a crazy month of midterms, observations and important gateway interviews to stay in the program! It's going to be crazy. Please pray for strength and good health. Many blessings to all who help me be who I am!!!

WHOA! You've missed so much due to my absence in writing...

Well, that friend that you all read so much about has now become an almost weekly part of my life. I talk with him every week or every other week depending on what is happening in our lives. It has been such a rich addition to my life. I really did miss him being in my life...more than he'll ever know.

I've been feeling very...lonely yet longing for someone that I never expected to still have feelings for. It's been a year since we met and they are still there. I have prayed that God take away the yearning desire in my heart but He has yet to do so. I'm not sure what that means but I do know that it'll all work out just the same.

And the countdown is on...

I am now less than 50 regular days away from graduation and less than 30 days of school left as well. I hope that I can handle myself until then and make decisions that are glorifying to God and not anyone or anything else.

I am really excited...and nervous....about my internship net year but I know that God is looking out for me.

Far, far, far...or really close?

Well, after all that jumble in the last post, I did talk to the friend that was far away. There's hope. I pray each day that my friends will know that I'm here for them no matter what. Sometimes, I wish I could just sit them all down and explain what each one means to me! Someday, I hope they will understand what they mean to me...in all the weirdest and most normal ways!

Not really sure...

I really don't know if my friends are still my friends or if they think I'm crazy. I hope that I find myself in less of a precarious position in the near future. The people you think will be there for you, seem to disappear in the blink of an eye without giving you time to understand why its happening.

They are forging ahead into their music careers and I'm sitting here hoping that someday I will be able to have my friends back but each day, I am less hopeful. There is not anything that seems to be in my favor...all the time I've spent investing in them and I feel its no use anymore.

One is far, far, far away in what feels like another universe. No communication can mean one of two things, things are well or things really stink. I pray its not the later but I have a bad feeling it is.

The LORD is the only one I have left to keep me from losing it completely. He keeps me in His hands so as I struggle feeling all alone, I'm really being carried through to the other side.

Beginning

I am writing in this blog for the first time although I have already started another one...not really sure why but I guess it's ok as long as I keep writing! :)

What's Happening?!?!?

Well, right now, I'm trying to get the motivation to do a whole lot of homework due this week! Not something I enjoy but it's almost over...just a few more months!

I'm getting a whole bunch of babysitting jobs that are working well for me so God's providing the finances when things are rough.

My family is going skiing without me!!!!! :( Snow is actually falling in TN and people are losing their minds!

Having a lot of thoughts racing through my mind all the time...see my other blog for those!