I survived!

I made it through my tests today. The first one took me about 4 hours and then I took about 30 minutes to check back through everything. The second one took me about 2 hours and 10 minutes. In TN, we were unable to leave during the tests once we were finished but here they let you go. Instead of staying 'til 7:15, I was able to escape at 4:10! :) I can't say I wasn't exhausted after getting up at 6:10am....earlier than I've gotten up in a LONG, LONG time! :)

What a random week!

Well, it has been a very interesting week to say the least! Wednesday was Ash Wednesday and beginning of the Lenten season. I went to my first every Ash Wed. service. It was a neat experience and gave me time to be with God. Then a bunch of us hung out afterwards and I didn't get home until MIDNIGHT. That right there is a crazy thing...at least for those of you that know me well...my bedtime is 10pm if not earlier! That was really fun though. Then on Thursday, I was the Schuberts lil' Haley while everyone was out. I had so much fun! We were playing and being silly even in spite of the crazy storm outside. I had gotten a text from a friend when I was leaving school to see if I could meet for dinner at O'Hare and I knew I couldn't because I had to get to Haley. This wasn't just a friend from here, it was my friend in Alaska that I hadn't seen in like 2 years!!!!!!!!!!!! I told him that if they got home and his flight was delayed, I would come visit for a few minutes. Well, they came home and his flight had been delayed until 11:07pm so I drove like crazy around all the flooded portions of town to get there. We got to hang out for like 4o minutes and then he had to get inside and make sure he was at the gate so he wouldn't miss the plane! It was fun to hang out with him and it didn't cost me a flight to Alaska....which he continually reminds me I owe him because I told him I would come visit someday. I got home at like 11:20 or so! I am sooooo tired! Today I took a 3 hour nap when I got home from school!

I got through this week, now I must get through tomorrow. I have to take my certification tests for my IL teaching license. I thought "oh this will be no big deal, just a couple tests that take a couple of hours" because that's how my previous 4 tests were in TN....well, they take approximately 5 hours. My first one starts at 7:15 am (and you need to be there 30 min early) and goes until about 1pm. Then the second one starts at 1:30pm and is expected to last until 7:15 pm! Ok, my idea of a relaxing Saturday is not 12 hours of testing! What in the world are they thinking--I guess they aren't!!!!! :)

Tenderfoot

My little bro earned his Tenderfoot advancement tonight! I will try to get a picture but I had forgotten my camera! Way to go brother! I'm so proud of you! :)

Highlights from "Ski Your Buns Off 2009"

My sister and I drove down separately from the rest of the family after school on Friday. That was an adventure...more below!

One of her quotes for the weekend was "You are driving faster than I can run so you are driving too fast." She is in driver's ed and speed is not her friend, so to speak.

Her and I got off at an exit in Madison, WI thinking we would be able to find a Taco Bell and a Wal-Mart. Boy, were we wrong! We searched for over 30 minutes for it. We really wanted Taco Bell otherwise we would have stopped at some other place since every other store and restaurant in history was at that exit! It was very funny! So then we went on to the next exit that said there was a T B and got off. I really had to go to the bathroom so we went in, took care of that, got my sister a drink, and was about to order our food when we realized that it was a T B Express therefore they charged twice as much for food and a bean burrito was $1.69....almost twice as much as here...not happening!!! So we waited and kept driving. As soon as we got back on the interstate, I said, "God, all we need is a Wal-Mart with a Taco Bell in the outlot. Please give us one--that would be really great!" So we kept driving waiting to see a Taco Bell sign. Then 30 minutes later we saw one, and we could see it from the exit and what should it be sitting in front of, but a Wal-Mart....God answered our prayers!!!!!!! I didn't really think we'd find that combination but apparently they exist!

I was able to snowboard really well this weekend and just take my mind off life! It was a lot of fun and I had some good moments with my brothers and sister on the hill! :)

I only have five weeks left at my current job so please be praying for the next step in this specific journey! :)

Girl Scout Cookie Catastrophie and Reaching Beyond Your Comfort Zone

OK, this is never the news you want to hear:

Dear Neighbor,

I regret to inform you that I will be unable to fill your Girl Scout cookie order that you placed about 1 month ago. The cookie mom lost my order form and therefore I have no record of what anyone ordered. I apologize for the disappointment of not getting your annual Girl Scout cookies and any inconvenience. Hopefully you will place orders next year and this won't happen again.

Sincerely,

Your dear Girl Scout

Luckily, she is a dear little friend of mine and I totally understand. I didn't need the calories anyways...I'll just say it's God's way of telling me that! LOL! :)
____________________________________________________________________

Next, my dad sent me a little Valentine's gift that was so cool! It's a wall tile that says, "If you keep reaching outside your comfort zone, you'll make it!"

Then the little tag on it had this great little reminder:

Comfort Zone

Most of us spend our time
Neatly tucked away,
All safe-and-sound, in our tidy little lives.
It's not that we don't long for a change,
It's just that sometimes we get so busy
And caught up in the thick-of-thin-things,
That we forget how to really live.
Everything in our lives
Begins to take on a shade of gray.

That's when it's time to bust loose,
Abandon all fears and push ourselves
Out of our comfort zones
Into the magical, mystical,
Uncharted territory called
"Possibility."
Oh, sure, it will be hard at first.
You may even get bumped back a few times.
But in the end, it will be worth it.
Because if you keep on reaching,
One of these days you'll make it,
And nothing will ever be the same again!

I shall bid you all farewell. Enjoy your weekend!

Fudge Stripe Cookies and Milk

Ok, so I've eaten 2 bean burritos, 1 cheese and beef burrito, and now the Fudge Stripe Cookies and milk. I think I've blown the eating healthy for today. OH well! I eat less during the day anyways and I'm fighting a cold! LOL! Good excuse, huh? Anyways, I had very little voice this morning when my students arrived and they were all like "are you ok?". I said yes and told them that I needed a little extra cooperation and listening today. Did I get it? No! LOL! Oh well. I just coughed and they ignored it...I guess they don't understand! I also figured out that I can get help in the classroom with clerical and other little things an hour a week-ish...I haven't used any for 6 weeks since I didn't know and so I think I can take a little extra...especially when they have nothing else to do! It shall be an interesting week for sure! I get to snowboard this weekend...woohoo! :)

Hanging with family!

Today I got to see my cousin that has been in Korea for the past 8 months. It was great to see him and hang out with that side of the family. I enjoyed the taco eating contest I had with my cousin. He beat me with 8 tacos and I had 7...I can't say it was a good idea in the long run but it was fun nonetheless! I will try to post some pictures tomorrow.

Blessings for a wonderful week! No work tomorrow! WOOHOO!!!!!!

School Valentine's Parties

WOW! I had a busy yet great day! I really had fun with my class. I got some really sweet Valentine's from my students and felt very loved! I will try to post some pictures of some of the things I got! :)

I came home and slept for many hours, ate, and am about to go back to bed...my eyes are already drooping! :) I shall see ya'll tomorrow!

Have a great long weekend!

One more day...

...until the 3-day weekend! YEEHAW! I can't wait. Please do not call me tomorrow afternoon because I will probably be passed out in my bed! LOL!

I went to see Danny in the play tonight at GW and it was good. I was tired so I think if I wasn't so tired, it would have made sense...WAY TO GO DANNY!!!!

One day at a time...a good way to live sometimes!

Tomorrow is our class Valentine's Party...oh the days when it was innocent and fun--at least I get to re-live them every year. I have lots of fun planned for the kids and I can't wait. I think it will just be a relaxed day.

My cousin is home...

My cousin that was serving in the Army is finally home. I will get to see him this weekend and I'm really excited. Its about the only exciting thing I have this weekend since I will be doing nothing but cleaning house, grading and just enjoying my 3-day weekend...oh, the blessings of being a teacher! :) Grandma is gone so I plan to clean until my little heart can't clean anymore. I have the world's largest stack of grading that needs to be done--one of the very FEW cons of teaching! Those are my ambitions for the weekend. I plan to show the ones I love that I love them!!!


I just realized that it is past my bedtime so I will have to write more tomorrow...I spent my lunch online looking at and writing posts. :)

Rainy Day

It is a rainy day here in Chi-town. I can't believe how much it looks like I should be able to be home and sleeping. :) Today is the day that my grandma left for Israel. I think I could pass out I'm so tired (I was falling asleep while tutoring..with the bobbing head and all yesterday). I had trouble sleeping last night and was up every hour probably from 2am til I got up at 7am. What is wrong with me? Well, I think I just have a lot on my mind and I'm trying to take care of it all but I have to take it one step at a time. I have youth group tonight and I think that is about it. I am on my lunch break and I've been checking my friends' blogs and decided to write a little on mine. I'm sure I'll have more to write soon...in fact, I would love to write a book on my life...maybe I will. 

Laters and have a wonderful day! :)

Life is never the way you expect...

...you'd think by now that I would realize that but there are just times when I'm blown away by how big the world and my life really are. Not that I'm important, by no means is that what I mean, I mean that I live in this little bubble of thinking and it takes a friend to jolt me out of it. I try to be open to what life has for me and be adventurous but one little thing can hit straight at the heart. I was hanging out with some friends that really hit me with the truth in confronting a situation in life head-on. They assured me all would be fine but I'm trusting that it will be. I had asked a friend recently to pray for discernment...well, I think God sent it via people-mail...as in friends (not email). There's a reason for the season I'm in.

Pancakes and Love

I know that there are many instances where I try to please someone and fail miserably...please forgive me....this story lets me know I'm not alone! :)

PANCAKES AND LOVE

Six year old Brandon decided one Saturday morning to fix his parents
pancakes. He found a big bowl and spoon, pulled a chair to the counter,
opened the cupboard and pulled out the heavy flour canister, spilling it on
the floor. He scooped some of the flour into the bowl with his hands, mixed
in most of a cup of milk and added some sugar, leaving a floury trail on the
floor which by now had a few tracks left by his kitten. Brandon was covered
with flour and getting frustrated. He wanted this to be something very good
for Mom and Dad, but it was getting very bad. He didn't know what to do
next, whether to put it all into the oven or on the stove, and he didn't
know how the stove worked!

Suddenly he saw his kitten licking from the bowl of mix and reached to push
her away, knocking the egg carton to the floor. Frantically he tried to
clean up this monumental mess but slipped on the eggs, getting his pajamas
white and sticky. And just then he saw Dad standing at the door. Big
crocodile tears welled up in Brandon's eyes. All he'd wanted to do was make
them proud. He was sure a scolding was coming, maybe even a spanking. But
his father just watched him. Then, walking through the mess, he picked up
his crying son, hugged him and loved him, getting his own pajamas white and
sticky in the process.

That's how God deals with us. We try to do something good in life, but it
turns into a mess. Our marriage gets all sticky or we insult a friend or we
can't stand our job or our health goes sour. Sometimes we just stand there
in tears because we can't think of anything else to do. That's when God
picks us up and loves us and forgives us, even though some of our mess gets
all over Him. But just because we might mess up, we can't stop trying to
"make pancakes," for God or for others. Sooner or later we'll get it right,
and then they'll be glad we tried...

-- Author Unknown

I wish it was the weekend...

....I am not going to lie! I'm sooo pooped this week! :) In just a week in a half, I will have a day off! WOOHOO!!!!!!!!! :) Pray that I don't fall asleep teaching....LOL!!!!!!!! Just kidding...it's not quite that bad!

25 Things About Me

1. I work with high school students because I love to be an encouragement to them. I know how much it meant to have devoted leaders when I was in HS and want to be there when they feel like no one else is there! :)

2. I moved back here to start my "adult" life so I could be by my brothers and sister. They mean the world to me! :)

3. I'm on my 3rd job since moving home just 7 months ago and it ends in 2 months. There are opportunities abounding and I'm in an amazing place being an out-of-state transplant and being this embedded in a school district already where people know my name! :) I think the day is coming for my own classroom..... :)

4. I've been blessed with amazing friends back here now where I wasn't sure I was going to have any. I know you are thinking, "Duh Danielle" but I wasn't so convinced...I felt very alone when I moved back! Weird how life changes so quickly! :)

5. I have only dated one person in the last 10 years (and it was only for like a month-so I'm not sure it even counts). I'm not really sure how I feel about that but I do know that God has taught me a lot of things in those 6 years that I would not have learned had I been in a relationship. I love just chillin' with my friends. Someday I know I will have my prince charming and then have my little kiddies that I will love unconditionally! (For now, I'm borrowing my friends' kids as my own....that's where Auntie Danielle comes in!) :)

6. I have a crafting addiction! I love to scrapbook, take pictures, sew, embroider, paint, make cards, woodworking and other crafty projects. I have all sorts of stuff that I want to do yet time becomes a factor. I pray that soon I will be able to enjoy all my hobbies, including all my musical endeavors. :)

7. I am an organizer from the inside out. I'm pretty sure most people think I'm crazy but it helps me in my efforts to do a gazillion things at one time (teacher, sister, daughter, granddaughter, small group leader, worship leader, student worship secretary, youth group volunteer, tutor, servant of Christ, friend, babysitter/nanny, mentor and whatever else I am!). :)

8. I am a Bears (and sometimes other teams) football fanatic! I saw my first live game at Soldier Field during the COLDEST Bears game in history vs. the Green Bay Packers. WE WON! We blocked 2 field goals...normally, you are lucky if you block one! I had such a great time. I got the tickets as a present from a friend and went with another good friend! Thanks to both of you for making it AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

9. I'm going to write a 101 things to do in 1001 days just like Katie....you rock girl! :)

10. I love HGTV! I don't get to watch it often but oh do I ever love it! It's educational in my mind so I somewhat feel justified in sitting down to watch it. I'm learning new things each time I watch it! :)

11. I LOVE SLEEP!!! 'Nough said!!! :)

12. I LOVE KIDS! I want my own...but don't worry....I know there are steps before that can happen! It's hard when your job makes you want kids and you can't have them! LOL! :)

13. I want to be: classy, sophisticated, elegant, kind, gentle, graceful and so much more... :)

14. I would rather have a "chill-stay-at-home-in-our-sweats" date than any fancy, schmancy hooplah!!!!! :)

15. I want to change the world--starting with me! :)

16. I don't like when people are disrespectful!!!! :)

17. I like lots of pizza and I'm pretty sure I could eat it every night!!! :)

18. I have realized that my life is not going to go as planned if I tried to be OOBER-organized so I'm trying to lay low and chill on that one! :)

19. I love to encourage people and be a mood-lifter of sorts! Anything I can do for you? :)

20. I can barely see my home desk right now which is driving me crazy. I try to keep up but I am barely ever here! Oh dear...just livin' life I guess! :)

21. I work for one of my old fourth grade team teachers! :)

22. I'm very contemplative and think about life....a lot!!! I'm pretty sure it could be a full time job for me....(you have to check out my other blog for some of the ooze that comes from my contemplative times)---or just call me! LOL!!!!!!!!! :)

23. I'm not afraid to say what's on my mind...most of the time. I also am very open about my life, struggles and triumphs! :)

24. It has taken me 4 days to come up with this list! :)

25. I love smiles on real people, I love to smile and I love smilies on the computer! (In case you couldn't tell with all the smilies in this post!) :)