Don't Blink

Where did the month of November go? With the short weeks of school and the much needed days off, this month has flown by. I realized a few days ago that I haven't posted since the beginning of this month. I've had the usual up and downs of every day life without many extremes. How about a top ten list to summarize for you (in no particular order):

1. Hickory Hammers volleyball recruited me to coach for them this year and I gave up my year off. Yes, I am coaching Junior Olympic Volleyball again this year. I know only ONE girl on my team of 15 year olds, but I've got some major skill and potential on my team. Practices start this week and we have a tournament the last weekend of December.
2. Lincolnton Middle School volleyball has been a joy and a frustration. I love these girls and how they've improved over the weeks. We can't manage to pull together a complete game. We either start off really well or work on those come from behind games. We are 2-2 right now with our first home matches this week. I'm hoping playing at home will help them pull it all together. I am greatly enjoying this team - probably more than my high school teams.
3. We have been interviewing for the LA position on our team. We had a real winner the other day, but sadly he mentioned his WIFE thus making him off limits to me. We have hired a brand new teacher to fill the gap that Heather has left.
4. I LOVE my teammates at school! We are like family even to the extent that we argue and fight at times. We get along well and can joke and pick with the best of them.
5. Communication with Thailand has happened a few times this month. Sometimes just hearing the voice of that loved but deeply missed friend helps tremendously in regaining perspective on life in general.
6. Melissa made a CD. I'm proud of her effort and have no review at the moment because I've only heard a few songs on it. I'll let you know more about it later.
7. I've had some good times at church and specifically with Pastor Jason and family. I've had several good conversations with Krista. Madison, their four year old daughter, asked when I was coming to sleep over. Silas, our little man, has smiled and made my day on more than one occasion. Silas is having surgery on his ears early Tuesday morning, so keep him in your prayers. He is receiving implants that will hopefully give him some hearing in his deaf ears. We're praying for God's miracle for our little man.
8. I had a great Thanksgiving weekend! I finally got to eat until I was full at almost every meal! Honestly, I haven't done that in awhile. I had some good times with the family. Tim, Jenn, April, Joe and I played a card game called Phase 10 for at least four or five hours. I think we played that more than we played video games this year. I had some good times with the kids as well. I stayed an extra day and night and got my Mom and Dad time in too. We all pretty much crashed together but it was nice to not be in a house alone.
9. I am so glad that certain people - whom shall remain nameless - are on the same cell phone company as me now. We are free to talk whenever the urge hits now that it won't run up our phone bills. I feel like I have at least one friend in the world now (ha ha ha)!
10. Finally, my main motivation for writing tonight - I received a paper in the mail this weekend that reads "On behalf of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission, I wish to extend our congratulations to you upon the successful completion of the teaching service provision of the scholarship...again, congratulations on fulfilling your obligations as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow" WOOHOO!!! Free at last, free at last! I literally danced a little jig in the kitchen when I read it. I know some of you probably have already had yours, but I had to fight to make sure they counted last year towards my scholarship. Amazingly enough my plan is to continue teaching but at least now I'm not restricted to North Carolina!

So there's a "brief" summary of the month of November for you. I know it's rather long but I needed to get something up before Christmas gets here. There are many things I've missed too that are coming to mind as I reread my entry but I'll stop with what I've got. I'm going to dive into one of my new books that I got this weekend. I sold some old books to a used bookstore for store credit so of course I got some new ones! Happy November!

Bowling for Jesus

Wasn't that the name of some FCA or IV event? Sounds like that cheesiness we were all sucked into in college. But I did go bowling tonight with the kids from church. I had the best time with them. I honestly cannot remember the last time I went bowling. I explained to some of the gang that I had bowled on Tim's Nintendo Wii last Thanksgiving, but that's the last time I remembered "bowling." We had a battle of the sexes going with the winners having dinner bought for them. The winners also got to pick where we ate. We had a great turn-out with 16 girls and 13 guys. You know the guys whipped us. I greatly enjoyed my first game because I was on the lane with the middle school girls. We got to use the bumper guards. It took me FOREVER to get back into the swing of bowling. My second game was without bumper guards. It slowly came back to me but was by far one of my worst performances in years. I did have a good time with the girls in my lanes and then at dinner afterwards. I even stretched myself and talked to one of the "new" girls for quite a while too. It was fun. Krista brought the kids and we had Madison (who is 4) bowling on our lane with us. She seemed to be having a good time. She would lose interest in the ball before it got down the lane but turned away clapping every time (even if it didn't hit a single pin). Silas also bowled a few frames. He would roll the ball and then wave at it as it went down the lane. It was SO CUTE!

I'm very glad that we are "falling back" with the time tonight. I'm going to need the extra hour tonight. I watched bits and pieces of several movies today. For some reason, every time I sat for awhile I fell asleep. Not that I have any reason to be tired, right?! I did get my lawn done today (hopefully for the last time this season). I do feel somewhat caught up on my sleep. One channel had some of my favorite girl movies on today so I watched two of them. Another channel had the end of the world movies on today. I watched a little bit of two movies on that channel. Somewhat strange combination of movies today, but we'll not examine that too much seeing that I slept through most of them. Well I'm going to go take full advantage of my extra hour of sleep now.

The Legacy Begins

The Next Generation of Lincolnton Volleyball! Coach is laying the foundation for her own personal dynasty by having a hand in the middle school and high school teams. She's already starting to surround herself with good coaches for future positions and tapping into the love that these people share for the game and these athletes. Each team is winning for pride and building for the future!

Trying to catch up

High School volleyball ended with a disappointing loss in the first round of the state play-offs. Middle school try-outs have ended. We had 60+ girls come out and now have a team of 14. I just love making cuts. Patrick and I butted heads over a discipline issue on our team during the school day on Friday, but managed to pull it together for volleyball cuts that afternoon. We have one week to practice before some county scrimmage where all the teams in the county play against each other. Then we have our first match at Kings Mountain! Welcome back to KMMS!

I really do have wonderful teammates at school that I'm learning to appreciate more and more. The last three Fridays we've spent over an hour talking about everything and nothing after school (or after volleyball this week). My one complaint is that they are very indecisive - especially since Heather moved to her new position. If you know me at all, then you know that I'm becoming the decisive one of the team. It's weird to make the decisions though because I'm the "new" kid with the least amount of experience. They support me in my decisiveness. I think I'm pretty fair at weighing every one's opinions and making a decision that best fits everyone. The kids have simply been pushing the limit with the interim substitute and we're having to take on "bad guy" roles to cover for her. Some of them are learning and others probably won't learn no matter how hard we try.

One final thought that I am struggling with today. I am amazed at how busy I can be but also how lonely I feel. I'm still searching for the friends around me (in Hickory) to talk to and do things with that won't interfere with their family's life. Most of them include me in their plans and outings when I'm right there in front of them, but out of sight, out of mind usually applies. Hickory can be pretty lonesome, but I don't know where else I could go. My prayer of the morning was "Lord, I believe that you know what's best for me. But Lord help my unbelief."

I am alive

I know I'm doing a horrible job of keeping up with my blog, but most of you that read this know I'm alive. We are in crunch time for high school volleyball with middle school volleyball set to start very soon. My JV team finished first in the conference. Our final record was 15-3. We had one conference loss at the last game of the season. We had been playing horrible all week and the last one got to us. I've had some good conversations with some of my freshmen since then so I'm excited about next year's team. We asked five girls to play up on Varsity for the play-offs. One said "Do I have to?" Two others simply did not show up to practice on Friday. One was here yesterday for our game, but missed today because she was getting her nails done for Homecoming on Friday. Coach and I are trying to decide what to do if she shows up to play tomorrow. We wouldn't want her to break a nail. Varsity started our conference tournament on Monday. We won easily on Monday. We are the #2 seed in our conference. We played West Lincoln tonight and just about lost. It was some pretty high emotion games. We play for the conference championship tomorrow. No matter what the outcome for that game we'll play at home on Saturday for the first round of the state play-offs. The way we played tonight, we might not see much past this weekend. There's always hope for our team to go on a run of good playing. Middle school ball is set to start on Monday. Patrick and I have our game plan ready and hope to find some good girls in our week long try-outs. I'll be glad to be coaching a team at my own school and not having to travel so much. I might over-lap for a few days but more than likely not too many. So between all of that and simply being an 8th grade teacher I'm staying pretty busy. Most of my time has been in Lincoln County the past couple of weeks. I'm finally starting to feel somewhat better - still coughing but hopefully that will go away soon. I've got a pretty busy weekend planned and hopefully will fit everything into it. I'm learning to better appreciate my teammates at school. We are coming together well and they truly do care about me. It's nice to be reminded that someone loves you. I've got to go work on some lesson plans for tomorrow. I hope to write again before another two weeks go by. I hope you are well as you are reading this!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Friday, October 5th was my 28th birthday. To some I'm still a young person and to others I'm older than dirt. I very rarely reveal my age to my students at school and didn't break that habit this year. They think I've passed the 30 milestone already. One of my students asked me what I was doing to celebrate. I replied, "I'm going to my parents' to have dinner and cake." She got a surprised look on her face and said "You have parents?!" My jaw dropped and then I about fell on the floor laughing. One of my new favoritest people, Emily, who teaches next door to me, was passing by at this particular moment. Her response to this student was, "Did you think she evolved out of some ooze or mud somewhere?" This made me laugh even harder.


My day started with a phone call from Thailand - which absolutely made my day. I talked to Melanie all the way to school - just like we've done a hundred times before in our teaching careers. It was exciting but sad when I realized that she was getting ready for dinner while I was eating breakfast. We had a fun conversation. Melissa came in from Kentucky to spend the weekend with me. We spent Friday night and Saturday at my parents' house. Melissa and I went shopping for some new school/church clothes for me. I'm not sure if there would be anyone else I would want to help me pick out clothes. She dressed me in some nice new things - some of them were even the next size down!!! Mom made me a birthday dinner (roast beef, potatoes and carrots) and a chocolate cake. Then Melissa and I headed back to Hickory. We stayed up late talking - just like the old days. We went to church this morning, ate lunch, talked some more and now she's home in Kentucky. Overall it was a great birthday weekend. All of my friends who I wanted to hear from did call or email at some point this weekend.


I'm going to end with my favorite birthday present of the weekend. Lori "broke" into my house on Friday to leave my present for when I got home from school. I was happy to see the card and a book on my counter. When I opened the card it said the best way to spend your birthday is with a good book and...

It's great to be known and loved! Thanks to everyone for giving me a good birthday! May God continue to use each of you to bless and encourage me in the next year of my life!

Welcome to the Club!

This post is for my lovable niece, Jasmine. Welcome to the bad eyes club! Jasmine was having a hard time in school (which is her first year). The problem turned out to be that she couldn't see what was going on. My adorable niece has had to get her first pair of glasses at the young age of four! It's possible she could grow out of these glasses in a few years or like some of us Procita's it could be the beginning of a lifetime of eye wear. I think she looks really cute and possibly a little more like Aunt Holly with them on! Either way, I know I love my Princess Jasmine - no matter what her eyesight!

I'm so sick

Of being sick...

I finally broke down and went to the doctor today. I know - probably two weeks too late. I have a very good case of bronchitis. I was given some antibiotics and a cool looking cough syrup in the form of gel caps. It's my "favorite" cough syrup that always does the job so I'm looking forward to trying out these gel caps. The information packet says not to let it dissolve in your mouth because it will burn your throat all the way down. Be sure to swallow it whole. My only hope is that it will help me to sleep through the night! I wasn't feeling that bad this weekend - that or I'd grown accustomed to feeling bad and it didn't bother me. Being woken up at 3:30 AM and coughing myself into a fit pretty much sealed the deal for me. I croaked and coughed my way through four classes today. I'm taking a half-day tomorrow (I can hear most of you asking - why not a whole day?). You know me - volleyball game - pure stubbornness. By going in the second half of the day I'll just have to teach one class and sit through a technology workshop. If I feel bad enough, I'll come home after the JV match. Wednesday is an away game, but it's here in Catawba county so I might ask if I can drive to it. We'll see...I'll slow down come Christmas when high school and middle school volleyball seasons are finished. OK, my couch is calling my name. I'll be up for a little while longer and then I'm testing out the new gel caps for sleeping abilities. I hope you're all healthy and happy!

Family

I would like to take a moment simply to voice the fact that I miss my family. Whether we're talking blood family, family by marriage or chosen extended family, I miss all of you. When my immediate family has slowly moved away from me, I've had to adopt other family members. God has blessed me with some great ones, but even they have been far away lately. Sure I've had phone conversations and I've traded emails with some of them. I would love to be able to just drop in for a visit or stop by to say Hi (and hope they offer to feed me dinner). Sadly, some of my family has not been seen for months. Some of my family I see across the way at church so we at least know we're alive. Again, some are just voices on the other side of the telephone - thank goodness for cell phones and plans with unlimited minutes! I've had brief encounters with some girls that were adopted into my family when they played ball for me. They are all doing good things and making me very proud. I've had great phone conversations with some of my favorite younger family members (you know who you are). There have been days that I've missed some of my family members so much it hurts. I have this great bulletin board at school that has pictures of my family on it. Most days it makes me smile but lately it makes me a little sad because I miss the people up there. So if you are reading this and are a family member of mine, please drop me an email or give me a call because I miss YOU!

PS - We won our volleyball match tonight and are sitting in 1st place in the conference all by ourselves. We beat this team (who was undefeated in conference) 25-3 (yes that is a three!) and 25-12. I told the girls after the first game that we needed to kick them while they were down! I know that's mean but we had a statement to make. We start the second half of our season on Thursday and will hopefully keep our undefeated conference record alive!

Sickness and movies

I've been battling sickness for almost two weeks now, so I decided I was going to somehow lick this sooner rather than later. I took a turn towards the better on Friday. It was a quiet day at school - I love test days - plus the kids seemed to realize that Ms. Procita wasn't feeling well. I talked myself out of a doctor visit on Friday afternoon. I stopped into CVS and got a new Tylenol Cold Severe formula. If this didn't make me feel better, then higher drugs were going to be needed. I also stopped at my favorite Community Video Store and rented a few movies. I watched Invincible on Friday night. Great movie for a sports fan who loves the underdog. My dad will love this movie! I sadly went to bed at 9:00 PM. I slept until 8:00 the next morning. I kept some drugs in me and fell asleep whenever the urge hit me. I watched a few more movies this weekend. I recommend the movie The Gospel. Keith Menhinick will love this movie! It has great music and praising some Jesus in it. It's a modern version of the prodigal son in a downtown Atlanta church. It made me want to go to a black church! The final movie I managed to stay awake through was The Pursuit of Happyness. It was a good movie but I think it was over-rated when it first came out. Jaden Smith is a cute little boy and a convincing little actor! I went to bed early on Saturday night as well. I've managed to read some and am enjoying the book Blue Like Jazz. Today was a typical Sabbath for me - church in the morning, afternoon nap, and church again this evening. I managed to get through three hours of my counseling courses this weekend and comprehend them, despite the medicine. I think my remedy of Tylenol and movies has cured me or at least made me feel better. I'm heading into another busy week, but at least it's some practices and only two games. We do have a longest distance to travel on Thursday afternoon, but it at least got me out of some cheesy workshop I was supposed to go to. So I'm going to head towards bed and hopefully stay a few steps ahead of this cold. I'll try to update again soon.

Busy as a bee

I think I can relate to the bee this week. I have been working hard trying to gather pollen to take back to the queen bee. Here's my connection - I have been working to build relationships that I can hopefully take back to my King. I have made several connections with people since school started. Most of them I love to death, but I'm becoming more and more aware of their needs for Christ. I prayed for a good spiritual friend at school and so far have yet to find one. They are all nice but I have a feeling that I am the odd man out as far as spirituality is concerned. I do feel that Christian bond with some of the girls on my volleyball team. We haven't had many God conversations but sometimes you can just tell. I continue to pray for them. God has been faithful to answer many of my prayers this week. Things as big as finances and as small as energy to make it through the day. I've prayed for encouragement and reminders that I am not alone on several occasions this week. He answered in His own way with compliments from strangers and unexpected phone calls from friends. It's amazing how God works in His own way which is always best for me! I'm going to "class" now but wanted to update you briefly before I get lost in another week of busy-ness.

This week's high points

So it's been a very busy week so I'll hit the high points here for you:

1. School is going well. I have 90+ kids in my four classes. So far most of them are pretty scared/intimidated by me. I have a quiz to grade that I gave on Friday to see if they at least listened to me this week.
2. I'm undefeated as a high school volleyball coach! Note the Lincolnton papers link to the right where you'll find brief round-ups on the sports page about our games. You'll notice a difference if I ever start writing them for coach. We're starting to keep stats so it should be more informative soon.
3. I had the chance to talk to some of my Kings Mountain kids this week. They're liking 8th grade so far but wish I was teaching them instead of here at Lincolnton. I promised that I will see them when we play against each other in the various sports this year.
4. All of my Noogs who play volleyball made the JV team at East Burke. Several of my ABC Killers have made their school teams as well. I'm so proud I could pop.
5. Mini-Me is liking high school and even called to tell me about it. She has herself a new boyfriend in the first week of school. Let's just hope that he doesn't act all weird around her or she'll have her first break-up of the year in the second week of school.
6. My parents are safely in New York for my grandmother's 80th birthday party (which was today). I talked to them on Thursday night and really wished I could be with them. They are getting to spend time with parts of the family I haven't seen in years.
7. I've had emails from several friends from high school this week for various reasons. We are working on a "reunion" of volleyball players, managers, coaches, etc to help Coach Richards (from FTF) celebrate her 500th career victory. I need to sit down and count my victories over the years. I should be around 50 this season if not more. The question is how do I count the JO tournaments?
8. My counseling courses have arrived in the mail. Simply seeing the box sitting on my front porch made me very excited! They sent me the adult version when I requested the kid version, but I think I'll do the adult version anyways. I could very easily see me getting into the habit of doing these courses. I hope to start them soon.

There are probably several more things I'm forgetting but I thought I should post something to sum up this week before it escapes me completely. I'm very glad to have Monday off from school. We have volleyball practice because we have three matches this week. I'm heading down to GWU to visit Courtney and possibly swinging by Swoogers for some ice cream with the Kings Mountain gang. It should be a good end of summer celebration and hopefully I'll be ready to settle into the school/volleyball/church routine again. Have a great weekend!

One Down

179 to go! My first day at Lincolnton Middle School went well today. I arrived extra early and got most of the last minute things accomplished in time. It's great not having to drive an hour to school! I spent most of the day with my homebase (discovery/AA - get the names mixed up because every school I've worked at has called it something different). My student's assignment for tonight was to work on saying Procita correctly. Who knows how many of them will stick to that?!?! It's amazing how some of these kids let their true colors shine through very quickly. We are lucky though because one of the other 8th grade teams were already taking bets as to who would send this one kid to ISS first! None of us had any major complaints about our kids after today.

Today was also my first chance to practice with the JV team at Lincolnton High School. Our first home match is tomorrow afternoon. It's going to take a little while for all of us to get used to each other. It's going to be hardest for me to try to figure out Coach's rotations. It was starting to make more sense to me as the day progressed. I'll keep pushing the fundamentals and hopefully the rest will fall in line. I'm working on names so I can stop saying "hey you." I even got to design the team t-shirt today too. The girls just don't know that I out weighed all of their choices! On another random volleyball note - ALL of my girls from Heritage made the high school team this year. At this point several of my ABC team has made their various teams as well. That's the one downfall of coaching my own team right now - I won't be able to see them in action. I'm so proud I could pop anyways. Maybe I do know what I'm doing when it comes to volleyball. Well I've got to go do some homework! Thanks for all the prayers today and keep praying for me as I try to remain hopeful in transition...

Two Teams - One Coach

Go Lady Wolves! (LHS)

Go Lady Wildcats! (LMS)

I can very proudly say that I have officially become a member of two teams this week. I am the current Junior Varsity Coach of the Lincolnton High School's volleyball team. I also officially joined the ranks as the assistant coach of the future Lincolnton Middle School's volleyball team. As someone lovingly pointed out to me yesterday, I am laying the foundation to build my own program - all I have to do is wait for Coach Richardson to retire. I'm excited! I love being back in the gym and am already plotting how to take this program to the next level! Thank you Jesus for putting me exactly where I need to be to enjoy this! I will try to have links to my game schedule sometime this weekend. The server is down currently and based on the lightening outside I need to give the computer a break!

On the edge...

...so I'm one step closer to realizing a dream that at moments I have forgotten I had. As I type, Melanie is on her way (literally been in the air since 11 AM) to reaching one of her dreams. Melissa is enjoying life in Kentucky after a great summer with God and her husband. Plus many others, who read this but won't tell me, are on the verge of good things. I will reveal more to you tomorrow when I get a definite answer but I am very hopeful about this.

On a small side note, I received in the mail yesterday my first issue of Christian Counseling Today magazine. Each afternoon/evening I have devoured an article or two from this magazine. My subscription comes from my hopefully soon to be starting counseling program. It also a benefit of becoming a member of the AACC. We'll have to wait and see what God is going to do with this, but I am enjoying it thus far.

Brain Mush

Not much to say about today because my brain is still trying to recover from the stretching and bending it did today. Today was the day of the mother of all faculty meetings. Don't ask me what it was about because I don't think I could tell you much. We watched a few "training" videos. The one that always gets to me is the one where they do a mock lock-down drill. All of you in NC or who have been in NC in the past couple of years have seen this video. It makes me sad every time I see it and my heart starts pounding knowing that it could happen to us this year. I spent the afternoon with my teammates plotting the plan of action for the Coastal Cruisers this year. I happily added my two cents of information and was an objective ear/voice for many things "that we've always done this way." I think we are all going to get along great. Now when we get to the 8th grade meeting on Thursday - that should be interesting to see how we ALL mesh together...

Melanie came through on her last trip to Charlotte from Asheville for awhile. We went and got ice cream at Morgan's Calf-A. She enjoyed a peach smoothie and I had Moosetracks and Muddy Sneakers ice cream. We hugged and prayed. Now she's in Charlotte. She's looking forward to a long plane ride with loving teammates of her own to greet her in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday. I think she loses most of tomorrow on her journey. Keep Melanie in your prayers as she transitions to this wonderful experience in front of her.

I came home and mowed my yard. In the midst of that, I had a great conversation with my neighbor. I even had the chance to tell her that I would be praying for her to find a job. We traded phone numbers and assured one another that we would help in any way possible. Sometimes God takes things away to make room for new things close by. Now I'm going to go unwind some. It promises to be another full day at school tomorrow with the swearing in of the new superintendent in the morning and a math teachers meeting in the afternoon. Maybe one of these days I'll be back in my classroom!

Insignificant

At times you feel insignificant,

But you are loved by God,

Who created this whole picture.

In fact, He sent His ONLY Son

To this insignificant planet

Not only to show us how to live

But to show us how to die

The best part is that because He died

We don't have to

Pray on that for awhile!

Confession

I feel the need to confess that I am struggling with being hopeful in this transition time. There are just so many things moving and shaking right now and all I want to do is crawl into my hole to hide for a few days. That's not possible because I've already started school full-time. I think that my finances are my biggest struggle at the moment. I know God provides and I can give you all the right church answers to my struggles. As I sit down to pay bills, I easily lose sight that He will provide. I am a numbers person and they are quickly getting smaller. It's hard at moments to understand because I am very careful with my money. I may not stick to my budget as well as I could, but I'm not extravagant in any purchases. I've done better with fighting my urges to eat out more often because it's just easier than cooking for one. Several bills that I expected to come back smaller because I was out of the country for most of last month came back the same or a few came back larger! It's so hard to make it on my sad teacher's salary - especially when school systems don't pay you for the summer. I pray to Jesus that I can find a more permanent school home to hopefully balance things out some this year. I'm going to have to squirrel away money again this year. It's always things for myself that get sacrificed too. I need new glasses, new shoes, new school clothes, two new fillings, three medicines (monthly) - not to mention laying hands on my loving laptop every time I try to use it for anything of significance. I realize that I have a lot more than most people. I know all the "answers" but I just wanted to make my feelings known. There are precious few of you who read this blog anyways, so I can spill my guts here without it coming back to haunt me. Of course there are volleyball coaching possibilities hanging over my head at the moment too. More on that later in the week...when I'll hopefully have some answers. I need to get away from my desk and my taunting checkbook and calculator.

Shifting Gears

Here I stand on the brink of another transition and all I can think is how tired and worn out I am. We completed our Hickory Community Mission last week. It was a pretty successful week. I had a great group to work with and even worked through sickness all week. I took a day off to go visit the doctor to obtain some antibiotics so I can be ready for school stuff this week and next. Otherwise I was right next to my group each day in the 100 degree plus weather. God was gracious to give me the strength I needed for each day but not much more. I've spent this weekend catching up on sleep and on conversations with loving friends. I talked to one person in particular for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday, but I hadn't had the chance to catch her in over a month so it was wonderful. I got a brief Melanie glance on Sunday afternoon and was put on the calendar for between now and her departure on Tuesday - TWICE! I talked to the recently engaged Rena and got to hear the engagement day drama and excitement. Today I'm trying to catch up with my new teammates at school, who called to introduce themselves to me last week. What a great feeling to be welcomed and wanted!

I have great plans for this evening. I'm going with Lori and Courtney to see The Bourne Ultimatum. To be up to speed I watched The Bourne Identity this morning and am getting ready to watch The Bourne Supremacy in a few minutes. I'll get around to housework eventually this week. I just wanted to get a quick post up so you know I'm still alive. I'm shifting into teacher mode slowly, but it'll be here soon enough. I'm also highly anticipating my Biblical counseling stuff coming in soon. Besides being pretty worn out I'm doing good. We had a GREAT share time at church last night about our Canada trips, and I even convinced my parents to come to it. Well I need to get to my movie so I can be done with it by the time we go to see the new one tonight! Drop me a line when you get a chance!

Family Time

So the past 24 hours have been spent with the family. I wish it could've been more but it was quality. My favorite niece and nephew were at my parents house last night. They are on their way to Florida for a family vacation. Like Mom said this afternoon, "You just never know what is going to come out of these kids' mouths." Jasmine especially has some lines that come out and you just have to laugh at her. I've realized the toughness of Zeke too. He and Dad were playing football in the front yard. Zeke went for a long ball and managed to catch the ball with the side of his face. I heard the smack from where I was sitting on the front porch. Give the boy some major props though because he didn't even stop...just picked up the ball and went back for another pass. My favorite Jasmine moment of the visit was when she saw her new princess outfits from Grandma and Pop-pop. The look on her face was priceless - a mixture of awe and total excitement. Where was the camera when you needed it?

Upon returning to Hickory I was able to enjoy dinner with my other family. The Arnold family and I went to the newest barbecue place in Mt. View. It was good! I am saddened by the fact that they are more than likely moving away by the end of this year. Lori and I talked about our various roles for the Hickory Community Missions next week. God is trying to change my attitude towards this whole event and I'm trying to yield to Him. Pray for me this week as I develop my role here in this mission trip.

I'm going to go order my first set of classes for a counseling program I hope to start soon. I'll give you more information about it when I talk to you for real. Have a great Saturday night and Sunday!

Busy Days and Nights

It's been a busy couple of days, but good and beneficial. I think I may have finally found the counseling program that I want to complete. I also think I can afford this particular program as well. I've realized more and more how much I enjoy talking to people and helping them find hope and perspective in life. I pray that God will continue to open doors for me to minister to people in this way.

We've spent the past few days finalizing details for our Hickory Community Missions. We are doing a "mission trip" in Hickory with the youth. We are going to be serving in several area ministries and organizations to give the kids a taste of what is available for them at home. We go and get pumped up on foreign mission fields and struggle to bring it home. The purpose of next week is to expose people to what is available to them here in Hickory. It's just hard for some of us being so close to the end of our previous trips. We are tired and worn out, so pray for us as we do the fine print work of this trip. Fortunately, we had some great hands in the pot working their tails off while we were in Canada. May God bless them for their faithful work while we were gone.



I have to say one of the hi-lights of my week was Wednesday evening. I was able to take in a performance of The Lion King in Charlotte. The show was tremendous (even though I had seen it before). The company was also excellent. I was able to expose a very dear friend of mine to the joys of Broadway shows. She is a theater junkie at school but this was her first "real" show. I told her that I've corrupted all other shows for her because Lion King sets a very high precedent. We talked almost the entire ride home about all the amazing things in that show. She knows all the theater vocabulary and I sounded intelligent enough to maintain my end of the conversation. It also gave me a chance to be in the same place with Melanie before she heads out for Thailand in a few weeks.


Now I'm headed to Rock Hill for some much needed, but brief, family time before diving into the Hickory Community Mission on Sunday. At least the t-shirt will be cool because I designed it! Not too long after that it'll be full school mode once again. Oh the joys of being a teacher...again!

Man of Peace

During both weeks in Canada the concept of finding a man of peace was brought up. It was mentioned in Calgary and studied in Vancouver. I know that I prayed it over several communities near the churches we were working with. The awesome part of the whole concept is that I prayed it over the 8th grade hall and Lincolnton Middle School today as I explored my classroom.

Here's what I learned about men of peace. You can find them is Luke 10. Jesus sends out 72 of His disciples to basically be church planters in the neighborhoods where they live or travel. The first thing He tells them to do when they arrive in a new place is to find a man of peace. "When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house." - Luke 10:5-7. The chapter continues on to tell you how to evangelize the community. It's really an awesome passage if you get the chance to study it sometime. You can also find a similar passage in Matthew 10. It's also what we were doing in Canada for the past two weeks.

I prayed today to find a "man of peace" at my new school this year. God has blessed me thus far in my career with good Christian colleagues and principals at times too. I prayed for God to open doors for me to build relationships with Christians already in the school and to be a good witness to both students and teachers a like. I am excited to be a part of the Lincolnton Middle School family and I look forward to getting started there (just not quite yet - still recovering from Canada). There is some of the Biblical base for what we did in Canada. I'll share more details later.

Vancouver Team

Here are a few pictures I've found from Vancouver. They can be found on the PowerPlant website. If you search hard enough you'll find where these are located. We were the only team in Vancouver this summer and the dates match up as well. The picture in the middle is obviously the Mt. View Team. The picture on the left is us girls moving into our homes for the week. That's me at the back of the procession with my body bag of clean clothes from Calgary. We were upstairs and had a grand adventure carrying our luggage up these stairs. The picture to the right is the pimpin' Explorer I was privileged to drive all week long. Yes, we had fun with the sun roof, especially since we had to drive through a tunnel each day on the way to our site. This car is probably worth more than I make in two years of teaching but it was SWEET to drive this week. Thank God that it handles U-turns pretty well because we did A LOT of them. Ronnie was upset because he got a "soccer Mom" van to drive for the week. I offered the Explorer to him but he wouldn't take it. There were moments last week when I contemplated sleeping in the car because it would've been more comfortable than sleeping in our rooms. We had 8 girls and one small bathroom. Four girls in each of two rooms with the washroom in the middle. We made do for the week and were not in our rooms very much anyways. I have been very glad for my bed the past few nights though. As more pictures are sent to me or found on the Internet I'll try to post them or link them so you can see them yourselves.

Finally home

I just wanted to put a quick post up to say that I am home...unfortunately at this time 9 members of my team are not home. I arrived with five other members of the team at Raleigh-Durham Airport at 11:30 PM. We waited an hour and a half for our luggage. I laid down in my bed finally at 4:30 AM. Saturday started at 2:45 AM (Pacific Standard Time). We came home via Toronto and almost had to spend the night there to arrive home at 6:00 PM today. The rest of the team almost had to stay in Vancouver until Tuesday! They caught a flight to San Francisco last night but didn't get on the red-eye into Charlotte. They are currently in the air now (2:30 PM) and should touch down in Charlotte at 5:30 or so. I'm exhausted and I have a "body bag" full of laundry to do. I will try to summarize Canada in a few posts this week once my brain catches up to my body. A few things I learned through this journey home:

1. Don't fly United
2. Don't attempt to fly through Chicago because apparently even in the middle of July they cancel flights because of bad weather (even the 6:00 AM flights)
3. Standing at a airline ticket counter for HOURS will eventually get you home (you don't even have to be nice for the entire time - just a majority of it)
4. Parents sitting at home waiting for their kids to get home are NOT helping when they call every five minutes because they found some other flight on the internet!
5. Sitting/sleeping/standing in the various parts of the airport is permissable and the teens from Mt. View Baptist Church turned it into an art form yesterday. My group did it three different airports and Jason's group did it in two (but for longer periods of time)

One of the biggest things I've learned in the past two weeks is how awesome being in a constant state of prayer is. It's nice to "Pray without ceasing" and to have most of the thoughts in your head directed to the One with all the answers. Even when my head finally hit the pillow my thoughts were going to the Father - thanking Him for my bed and praying for the rest of my "family" to find some rest in San Francisco while they waited for their flight today. I woke up praying for them too. I look forward to telling you more about Canada in the near future.

Quick Update from Cochrane

I just wanted to say Hi from Cochrane, Alberta, Canada! I've got a few minutes this morning so I wanted to let you know I'm alive. Crazily enough, I've had two phone calls from principals this week that need middle school math teachers. I've had to politely but firmly turn them down. I am in full coach mode during T-ball camp here. We are working with 3-7 year olds and I'm loving it. I have all the girls in the camp in my group and they are doing GREAT! Coach Bo, who has very little voice, has been impressed with my coaching abilities (yes, Bo is about my age and available). We played a game girls against boys at the end of camp yesterday and had an absolute blast. These poor kids don't know where to go or what to do but it's amazing how much they've learned in the past two days. We taught them how to hold a bat and to hit on Monday. Yesterday was the throwing and catching day. The coaches all had to paint our noses blue so the kids would have a target to aim at. I went all out. My girls' team goes by the name of Wildcats, even though some of our members wanted to be the cheetahs or the horsies. Well I've got to go get ready for this day. Thanks to those of you who have been faithfully praying. God is moving through Canada and allowing us to be a part of that work these next two weeks.

Shortcuts to all you need to know

Here are several links to stay up-to-date on what we're doing:

Mt. View Baptist Church Webpage - see the Youth Alive Page in column on the left, click either Calgary or Vancouver Mission Pages - depending on which week it is

Southwinds Church - the church plant we're working with in Calgary

Power Plant - the organization we're working with in Vancouver, to the left there is a button for Daily Project Updates, I assume this will be updated daily once the project begins

Well I better head to bed. We leave for the airport around 9:00 and fly out around 12:30. Pray for us whenever you read this because I'm sure we'll need it. Thanks ahead of time for the prayers!

Slightly overwhelmed...

The time is drawing near for my departure to Canada. I thought I was going to have a pretty relaxing week, but each day has filled up with this, that and the other. I've had some good people time. I've had some good productive time. I've been busy most of the time but I've still got a pretty good sized list to complete by tomorrow. The packing is happening in phases...as I think of something to pack it gets thrown in my extra bedroom to be packed tomorrow. All of this activity makes me want to crawl in my hole and not come out. I'm just tired right now.

We spent several hours this morning getting ready for our Hickory Community Missions that takes place seven days after our return from Canada. We've been brainstorming for months but we finally got our "think tank" together to hash out details. I believe the mental work-out is what has worn me out. I haven't used my brain that much in weeks. Then I had to quickly transition from that to plans for Canada. I decided to go to Poolside tonight and had a long (and somewhat tough) conversation with a 13 year old. I love this girl to death and the issue we discussed is one that is "normal" for girls of that age, but that doesn't make it any easier.

I have to say the high point of the entire day was my Silas moment. He was doing his usual flirting with all the girls and clinging to his daddy (like he knows that daddy is going away soon). I was standing behind him talking to someone. He peeked over his daddy's shoulder and "checked" me out. Something connected in his little head that he did know me (we have a special relationship that goes back to our big road trip last summer). He started waving at me until I looked over at him. Then he gave me the cutest Silas grin and just kept waving. I think I'm still in love with that little man. He always seems to find me at some point at a youth event and give me that little grin that makes me melt on the inside. Well I'm off to accomplish something or maybe I should just go to bed early tonight. I've got a busy day tomorrow so the extra sleep won't hurt. I'd love to talk to you before I leave so please call at some point if you get a chance.

Big Plans

I have had a good day so far today and it's not even 10:00 yet! I slept great last night after a wonderful conversation with a good friend very late. I talked to several good friends over the phone last night. I finished a very good book this morning. I received a phone call from my new principal and am going to be teaching 8th grade this year! That's exciting and scary at the same time, but basically I get to be an algebra teacher (which I've wanted to do since I started in high school). I am heading to the good old Asheville today. One of my favorite places there is the Arboretum. I've had many good times there, but sadly they started charging to park there a few years back. I woke up this morning with the thought that I wanted to go to the Arboretum while I was up there this afternoon/evening. I don't have any extra money right now so I put the thought out of my head. Then I remembered that there was one day a week where you can park for free. Praise Jesus that day is Tuesdays!!! So I'm going to putter around my house some (and work on my secret project) and then I'm heading to spend some God time at the Arboretum. After that, it's off to dinner with two old friends to celebrate our freedom from the state of North Carolina (we've all fulfilled our NC Teaching Fellows commitments!). I'm off to work...feel free to call...

Burn or Keep

Today I am wearing one of my most comfortable shirts. The problem is that it hurts me to wear this shirt. I have debated throwing it out a few times, but something in me always prevents me from doing it. Now that I'm typing about it, another shirt has just come to mind that hurts me more to wear. I've only worn that shirt once but it is most definitely not going to ever be burned or taken away. Sadly enough (the phrase of the week) I have a drawer full of shirts like the one on my back. When you coach middle school sports you end up with quite a few t-shirts. This one in particular is older but one of my favorites. The memories that are associated with this shirt are bittersweet, but a big part of who I am today. It reminds me of my roots in this chosen profession. Like all trees, they sometimes have to be trimmed back or replanted. It hurt to be uprooted but my new soil gave me the strength to not abandon my tree altogether. Now I am looking at new soil yet again. This new soil seems a little rocky but I think I can carry some good nutrients from my previous soil into this new ground. No matter where I'm planted for the rest of my career I'll always carry a little of the soil from each place in me. That is why I can't burn or get rid of these shirts. They represent that soil and many more good times than bad were had at that particular place. So I will continue to wear my shirts, with not so much pride as before, but with comfort that I did good things there. Hopefully somebody is wearing this shirt themselves on occasion and will remember how much I care about them and would give them the shirt off my back if only they would ask.

Calgary Planning

I am spending my evening planning some options of how to fill our free day in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I am excited to be returning there this summer. I am currently examining the transit maps to determine how we can get around town without having to drive through downtown (especially since the Calgary Stampede is wrapping up that weekend). I believe we are going to spend some of our free time in the beautiful town of Banff. We missed it last year but are a little more free with our time on this Saturday. Everyone says that if we are this close, then we definitely need to go. So far, I'm not sure what the big deal is except that it's very pretty. It's more of an outdoorsy kind of town with lots of hiking and such. I'm sure Brent and Melissa would love it there! Did you know that there is a Lake Louise in Banff?

I did a little research about the church we are going to be working with in Calgary this year (both the "big" church and the church plant). Here's their websites:
Trinity Baptist Church (yes, they are related to Henry Blackaby)
Southwinds Church (we're running the t-ball camp and helping with the block party on July 15th)
Canadian Southern Baptist Seminary (where we'll be staying for the week)

This morning we had a "big" meeting about last minute details. We discussed passports and what to do if the three or four still do not arrive. Luckily, we have a connection in Washington DC, but there is still quite a bit of prayer going into this one. I realize there are ways around this for this summer, but it would be a lot simpler for everyone to have their passports. Our longest discussion probably involved the size of our suitcases. We have youth issued duffel bags that are available to us, but some of the "newbies" feel they need to cram their suitcases full of stuff. Now granted some of us will be in Canada for two weeks, but we will do laundry and the duffel bags are more than sufficient in size. One year we managed to zip one of the smaller youth into the bag! The final say is you can bring whatever you need but you have to be the one to carry/roll/drag/haul it! Then came the discussion of carry-ons. I can't imagine what some of these kids are bringing for all their questions. We're going to a country that has most of the same luxuries we have here. We may not find Walmart but I'm sure that Canada will have it's own version of the store. Well I better get back to my planning. I have to discover a grocery store close to where we are staying and how to get there because Lord knows that Jason would get lost in his own house without Krista and the kids!

It was a glasses day

Most of you know that days that I where my glasses all day are days that are one of these three options:

1. I'm super tired

2. I'm angry/upset/stressed

3. I'm sick

My students always knew that if I came in with my glasses on then they needed to be on their best behaviour or face the wrath of Ms. Procita. Well I believe I can add a number four to the list. Since I began wearing my new contacts that stay in all the time, I haven't had a glasses day in quite awhile. I have to take them out once a week to give my eyes a rest or so says my wonderful optometrist. My number four on the list would be pure laziness. I opened my eyes and grabbed one of my books this morning, spent quite some time playing video games and almost had myself convinced I wouldn't even have to leave the house today. By the time I did join the land of the living, there was no good reason to put contacts in for the day. Sadly enough though, my glasses are not the correct prescription and I do have a headache from wearing them all day. I guess that would fall under option #3. I'm going to get new glasses as soon as the next pay check comes in, but until then I just don't plan on having another glasses day.

Just so you know, I did leave the house briefly and confirmed my love of all things book related. You know what I mean when you can pass an hour in Barnes and Noble without even realzing it or spend thirty minutes just browsing the kids' section of the public library. I honestly think I got my new library card so I can stay up-to-date on some of the series of books my kids have gotten me addicted to over the years. I currently have two books calling to me so I must go answer the call of one of them before they wake the neighbors.

Big word post

Do you ever wonder if life is just passing you by? I had way too many hours in the car today and precious few cell phone minutes to occupy the time. That henceforth led to much thinking and processing of things that probably don't need to be brought into my consciousness. I did manage to distract myself for an extended period of time with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, as well as The Horse and His Boy. Both very good C.S. Lewis books on CD. I think my favorite part is that it's narrated by C.S. Lewis' step-son, who always gives some anecdote about the book before it begins. I've learned a few interesting things. I really think some of this over-thinking is due to the fact that too much has changed or is changing. Any time I try to sort out my emotions and reactions to it all, I get distracted by something (by force or by choice) before I reach a conclusion. Much to the chagrin of my closest companions, I am not much of a verbal processor. I'm also bad at giving myself time to process everything. Plus, the blood tests say I'm all out of whack inside anyways. I just need to learn what Paul says in Philippians about being content no matter what. As always, a little sleep never hurt anyone either. One more discovery of the day, it's amazing how therapeutic plastic bubble wrap can be in releasing stress.

Never a simple task

In my experiences, some of the most simple tasks become grand adventures. For example, my quest to put up the new ceiling fan and light fixture I've had for my office for almost two months now. I put up my first fan/light fixture in my extra bedroom about three weeks ago. It was a learning adventure, but I was confident I could do it simply this time. After spending a hour reading and an hour playing Nintendo this morning, I began my quest. To make a long (somewhat funny story) short, after two trips to Lowes, lots of encounters with some interesting "old" folks, very sore arms, a few moments of thoughts about shocking myself and lots of almost falls from my perch, I now am enjoying the cool breeze and soft light from the latest update to my house.

This put me in the mode to work on organizing and cleaning my office. I managed to put some happy pictures on the wall and cleaned out one of my desk drawers. I'm pretending I don't see the boxes from my classroom strewn throughout the room. I reaffirmed my lack of ability to hang pictures straight and even with the pictures around them. My mathematical, linear mind has a hard time with it but my beautifully painted walls don't need any more damage. I'm attempting to work up the courage to drill some holes in my walls to put up some cool bookshelves that I have. On these bookshelves I plan to show off the accomplishments of my teams over the past four years. I hope to find a good Duke patterned material to put underneath these items on my shelves as well.

So not much else is going on...sadly enough I believe I will see a 4th of July with only the fireworks on TV to entertain me. Last summer we were in Washington, DC - sitting behind the Washingthon Monument - to see their fireworks. I guess I'll just have to watch it from the comfort of a couch this summer. I'm off to make another dent in my Artemis Fowl book. One of the main reasons I like these books is because one of the main characters is named Holly.

Promoted or Demoted?

So I got a call today that I might actually be going up to 8th grade math instead of going back to 6th grade math. Being me, I told them that wherever they needed me the most was fine by me. 8th grade math is hard but not impossible. I have my work cut out for me in preparing but at the same time the beginning of the year would be a review of 7th grade stuff (which I just finished teaching - successfully). We'll have to wait and see what the principal decides.

Today was a productive day. My one complaint of the day would have to be my dinner. I've had this recipe for Mexican Meatloaf that I've wanted to try for quite some time. During my last trip to the grocery store I gathered all the ingredients to make it. It's a Crock Pot meal so it was made at 10:00 this morning. Little did I realize how smelly this Mexican recipe was going to make my ENTIRE house. Let's just say after smelling it most of the day I was not really wanting to taste it at dinner time. I did eat some of it, but I think I overcooked it because I had to crunch my way through the outside layers to get to the good stuff. It was good and a little less cook time would have made it better. The even more "exciting" part is that I now have 7/8 of a meatloaf left and no real desire to eat it. Maybe if I drown it in some gravy it will be better tomorrow.

I took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL North Carolina weather. I don't think we broke 80 today, so naturally I did my outdoor chores today. I played some Nintendo in between, but I tried to limit myself somewhat. My big trip out of the house today was to the library. I forgot what a wonderful place the public library is. I found some books for a secret project I'm working on and checked out some just for fun books too. Is it bad that I found more books to read in the children's section then in the adult section? Well I'm going to go start reading into the night...the book of the night is Artemis Fowl - The Lost Colony.

(which I will add to my collection in paperback)

PS

I realize that I can be rather long-winded in my posts, but that's just the writer in me trying to break free. The book has a beginning and a table or contents. Hopefully, some of the chapters will be completed this summer. I'm a stickler for details and sometimes probably share too many. I appreciate you taking the time to read them. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think of my posts!

The Gamer Comes Forth

Yes my friends I admit that I am a gamer...

By definition, a gamer is someone who sits in front of a TV or computer screen and plays games for hours on end. My brother helped to feed my weakness by letting me borrow his Game Cube for the summer (and maybe longer). I am super excited because the Nintendo Game Cube has the ability to play old and new Game Boy games (which I am the proud owner of an original and GBA). Joe also brought me his old Game Boy games. I have enough gaming options to last me for months! I forget how addicted I get to these things until two hours have passed and I'm still playing the same round of Tetris Worlds! I do have to admit that playing these games definitely dries my contacts out but that's what glasses are kept around for, right?!

So "anywho" it was good to get back to church today. We had a few moments of silent prayer in Sunday School this morning. It was great to approach God with such reverence in that room. I know God has me in this class for a reason and I believe He's starting to show me glimpses of the bigger picture through these ladies. I'm excited to see where we go with these ideas floating around in my head. The Men's Quartet sang a stirring version of "Victory In Jesus" that made me want to get up to dance (but I can't do that because I'm Baptist). Our Revelations Bible study met today and determined that we're going to have to meet another week. I've loved exploring this rich book with these teens and hearing their insights. I've even been able to answer some of the questions, even though I'm just learning much of this stuff myself. Tonight in youth we had small groups, literally. We split up between girls and guys and talked about Job and his three friends. It's a really interesting read and makes you think about how it is you're supposed to "comfort" your friends who are suffering. We had some good discussions, even though we were small in number.

I don't really know what this week holds for me. I've got plenty to do around the house (both inside and outside), but I've also got to fight the temptation to give into my gaming addictions. I might need some help with that one! I'm hoping to experiment with a few new recipes this week because I'll actually be home to eat them this week. I tried a new peanut butter pie this weekend. It tasted good but not nearly as good as Melissa's. OK, I'm out for the night because my contacts are dried out and my eyes are tired. Have a great one wherever you maybe be reading this!

Sleep does help!

It was so wonderful to sleep in my own bed last night. I didn't even mind my alarm clock waking me up this morning. I got up early because I had a second interview with Lincolnton Middle School at 9:00. Let's just say the interview went well once the principal remembered why he had pursued me in the first place. He offered the job and I accepted the position. I have now joined a very strong family of 6th grade teachers at Lincolnton Middle. Most of me is excited to get back to 6th grade, especially now that I know what they need to know in 7th grade. I will miss teaching algebra though, but the principal did ask if I'd be willing to move up a grade level or two in the future. I'm not sure what my coaching career will look like in the future but I'm sure I'll find or be roped into something.

It was good to make several phone calls driving away from the school with good news for once. I haven't had too much happy news to share lately only a lot of what ifs. I ran several errands and got quite a bit accomplished before 11:00 this morning. I felt like I had been through two or three days in that time. The burden of employment for next year was lifted and a DEEP sigh of relief was released. I would've collapsed at home for the day after all my errands were completed but I had a doctors appointment. That frustrated me because they ran the wrong lab tests last week and so I basically paid money to have the doctor tell me that today and have more blood taken. I'll get my results by mail sometime next week...blah. The high point of the day would have to be pulling on a pair of jeans that I hadn't worn in awhile and finding money in the back pocket! Now I can go have that ice cream I so long for when I find someone to go with me. I was lazy the rest of the day. A friend prescribed one movie or two episodes of ER today. I probably could've done both if not for the nap this afternoon. I did get in one movie so I guess that counts. So now my summer break can officially begin because I have no worries about the job and am even going back to 6th grade, which is a strong point of mine. Let me know if you want to join me for ice cream!

Deep in thought

As most of you know, when I get tired I start to think way too much. I'm to that point today and don't really know what to do about it. There's not really that much to think about and most of it is so contrasting in nature that it's hard to keep it all straight in my head. So in the advice of some of my bestest friends in these moments let's make a list:

Bad List

• Death of an old friend's grandma, whom I knew and missed the funeral
• Stupid boys breaking girls hearts and no Ben and Jerry's to help ease the blow
• No call from Jacobs Fork
• Reading an article about teenagers dealing with divorce and worrying about that one kid, whom I'm not allowed to help any more, and wondering who she is talking to or if she's just holding it all inside
• Not being able to sleep in until like next week
• Doctors appointment tomorrow - I think everything is okay, but have had moments of feeling "off" lately
• No milk in the house and no desire to get in the car to get some

Good List

• Job interview at a school that really wants me tomorrow morning
• Good road trip to New York with my Dad - even it was like a stay at an old folks home
• Tickets to see Lion King with some of my favorite people (hopefully) and getting a great deal on decent seats
• I get to sleep in my own bed tonight
• I got a hug from my brother this morning AND almost got shut into a HUGE bank vault (even got to go behind the counter)
• Half-and-half cookies (too bad I've only got one left) and rye bread from the Jewish bakery in downtown Gloversville

So there's all that I'm trying to balance in my head. "Physician, heal thyself!" My diagnosis and prescription to myself - go to bed and be amazed at what a good night's sleep will do for you. Also if at all possible call someone who will tell you that you'll be okay and will confirm your diagnosis and prescribed "medicine."

I Love New York

I really do love New York but it sure has its challenges as well. The drive for one - it takes a long time to get from NC to NY. Dad and I were making good time before we hit some construction in Pennsylvania. We went 10 miles in about an hour. After lunch I was given the chance to drive. We were cruising along pretty good for about ten minutes then we hit traffic and went about 15 miles in the next hour. The scenery in New York is very pretty and so different from the NC mountains. It's hard to describe unless you've seen it yourself. We arrived at Nana's around 6:30 last evening. We were greeted by my Dad's aunt and uncle from New Jersey. The rest of the family was at Alex's award ceremony. I was eventually roped into preparation and decorating for today's graduation party. That's what my family does best...everyone shows up and puts their hands and two cents into everything going on. I had a few good moments with Alex (who is probably my favorite male cousin) and joking around with him. I was "forced" to go to the actual ceremony this morning because I was at Courtney's two years ago. It was over pretty quickly and it's actually pretty chilly here in Upstate NY today. The party was just wrapping up when Dad and I brought one car full of the "old folks" and the rest are on their way soon I'm sure.

I have to say one of the most common thoughts in my head on this trip is how old my grandparents are getting. It's sad to see how much they've slowed down, how much they can't HEAR (HUH?), and just hold old they are starting to look. I thank God that I've had almost 28 years to enjoy my grandparents and be blessed by the unfailing love and wisdom. I pray that I will have more opportunities to spend with them before they are one day gone. I thank God for all of my family and pray often for their salvation. I've got so many good "heathens" who would make great Christians (you know what I'm talking about). Well it'll take twelve years to get this posted so I'm going to keep it short...

Beat up

I'm writing from my brother's house with my loving nephew and niece not too far away. Jasmine is reading me a book. She is surprisingly doing very well with it, even though she's three. I think she's had it read to her enough times that she knows it pretty well. She just told me that I can't wear what I have on because it looks like pajamas. I'm wearing jogging pants and a t-shirt. Zeke is somewhere playing some form of video game I'm sure. We played quite a bit yesterday and I got beat up a little but it was fun. We enjoyed some family time around the Nintendo Wii. I got my butt kicked at Mario Party (one of my favorite games on any Nintendo system) by my 3 year old niece and 6 year old nephew (my brother helped as well). It's fun and I highly recommend it to any gaming person out there.

Well, I've got to go finish getting ready to go. Dad is almost ready to go and we've got the long end of our trip ahead of us. I'm still trying to figure out my job situation for next year but that should be determined by this time next week. Pray for me as I make that decision.

Home again...for the moment

You've got to love long trips (which wasn't as long as it probably should have been) with good company...plus a principal calling you FOUR times to talk to you about a job that he thinks you'd be perfect for...it's no wonder I fell asleep as soon as I laid down on my very much missed bed. If you read the blogs of my other two sisterchicks you can get some good summaries and details of our time together. It was a much needed trip for the three of us as we are all truly transitioning into the next phases of our lives. Each of us are finding and/or holding onto that HOPE that we've learned so much about throughout our "friendships."

I'm heading to my homeland for the next seven days. I'll get to see just about my entire Procita family. We are going to celebrate the "baby" on Dad's side of the family graduating from high school. Alex is heading to Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA. He's making me proud and is going to major in some kind of crazy statistics. I knew there had to be another math genius in the family. At least I've got a few good stories to tell my family about jobs and adventures I've already had this summer as well. I believe I have repacked sufficiently and should enjoy my bed for a few hours tonight. I'll try to update according to the computers at my grandparents home...so I'll see you in a few days...feel free to comment...please!

Moments in Kentucky

Silly SisterChicks

Yes, I have pink toes!

There's no hiding places here!

Yeah! Another road trip with Holly!

Sweet puppy kisses from Wilson

Searching for KFC...

Today was a good day. Yesterday we got a tour of Melissa's new school and she has a HUGE new classroom. We found sustenance at Dairy Queen and then wandered down to Newport. We walked across a bridge called The Purple People Bridge. Then we spent some quality time in one of the largest Barnes and Noble I've ever been in. I got stuck looking at travel books for Australia. We compared what we've read in the kids section and made recommendation to each other based on our kids literature experiences. After dinner, we watched John Tucker Must Die - which I highly recommend to anyone who like Mean Girls, Ten Things I Hate About You or She's All That. It's a funny movie with a good volleyball scene that makes me crack up.

Today we visited the new Creation Museum here in Kentucky. It takes you on a "walk" through Creation and has lots of good Jesus themes throughout. I learned some things and was affirmed in my beliefs as well. At one point this morning though I was afraid we were all going to die in the Flood with Noah. It was a great little movie with some good special effects. There is a very clear presentation of the Gospel at the end of the museum as well. They had some cool animatronics throughout the museum. There was a nature area outside to walk around too. They had this really cool swinging bridge. It's amazing how quickly you can start acting like a twelve year old when something fun comes up. I think my favorite part would have to be the Planetarium. It was a twenty minute presentation about the Cosmos and how really insignificant we are when we look at the big scheme. At one point they were talking about a star that is a million billion (that's a one with twenty-one zeros after it) miles from the Earth. It was really cool! I am amazed by the beauty in God's creation, especially in the distant reaches of space.

God is starting to put a dream in my heart and I've had the chance to verbalize it some yesterday. It's in the "baby" phases of just trying to grow a little before I try to crawl, walk, run (as Jason would say). Pray for me as I start to pursue God and possibly a ministry opportunity in a BIG way. Sorry HT - no KFC as of yet, but maybe lunch tomorrow we can find the answer to your question! As always, feel free to comment. Tomorrow I should be back in Hickory so catch me if you can...

In Kentucky

So after many hours in the car, and several very entertaining phone conversations, we arrived in Crestview Hills, Kentucky late last night. We made good time, as was predicted. This seems to be a nice little town. My buds are out walking for exercise when Lord knows we'll be walking all over half the city when we're out later today. I decided to stay and spend some time with my new friend Wilson. We became friends pretty quickly and I was greeted with several wet, sloppy kisses pretty early this morning. For some reason, dogs and kids like me...if only I could get some men my own age to take to me a quickly as them.

I'd like to take a moment to welcome a few friends of mine to the blogging community. To quote one of my favorite people "what the h--- am I supposed to be doing with these things anyways?" They are just here for you to read and comment on. It is very good therapy to get everything in your head out somehow. Some of us crazy people want to put it out there for all the world to read if they so choose. So you can read whenever you want or just ignore forever - the choice is up to you.

Well I have no idea how long my pals will be walking this morning but I'm sure I'll have better stories later...so I'm going to grab a shower before all the hot water gets used up...

On the Road Again...

...I just can't wait to get on the road again! Anybody else out there know this song? I believe it is one that my loving father used to sing when it was time to hit the road again during family vacations. Happy Father Days to the best Daddy in the whole world! I have truly been blessed with a great Dad who has taught me about God and life in general. I know he prays for me daily which is better than I could ever hope for or imagine. Thanks Dad I love you!

So I'm here waiting for my one hour warning - the phone call that tells me my traveling buddy will be along in about an hour. I awoke early this morning and couldn't go back to sleep for the fact that I had a list of things that needed to get done before I left (and the fact that I was ever so slightly excited too). Surprisingly enough, they are all complete and I might even get part of my Sunday afternoon nap too! I was a good girl and went to Sunday School. I made a point of being early so I could say good-bye to the team going to Atlanta for a missions trip this week! I pray you guys have a great trip and I can't wait to hear all about it when you return next weekend.

My continuing thought of the past couple of days has revolved around dreams and desires. On Friday I interviewed for my "dream job." I will find out next week sometime if I got it or not. I continue to claim Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart." I have continued to pour out the desires of my heart to Him and am waiting for what He is going to give me this summer and for next school year. Does that mean it's easy for me - some days, yes - but there are days that I might roll my eyes at you for telling me that verse. I am also trying to determine my roll in my current Sunday School class. I know that God wants me to be there, but I'm not exactly sure why. The lessons have made me think and I have been given opportunities to share with some ladies I wouldn't normally have contact with in church. As the teacher said this morning, God has assembled this group of Godly women together for something bigger than our little classroom. I can sense that in my heart too and am waiting to see what His desire is for this very diverse combination of women.

Well I'm going to head for my couch and a potentially good nap before my traveling buddy gets here...this will sadly be one of our last road trips together for a few years at least...won't think about that one just yet...next time I'll be in Kentucky to let you know what's going on!

Hope you're happy!

I have finally joined the ranks of my blogging friends. I will do my best to keep it updated as time provides. I just want to say that I created this under my own conviction and not under the persuasion of a certain friend of mine.

As my title indicates, I am in transition once more. The older I get, the more I realize that life is full of transitions. It's pretty much inevitable, so don't get too comfortable with the way things are right now. I guarantee that in a day, a week, a month or a year things will be different than they are right at this moment. The one thing that keeps me going through each transition is the fact that there is always HOPE. I believe and trust in a big God who always has my best interests in mind. He hasn't let me down yet - definitely taken me through some low points - but has never made me face any of it alone. I am not lost in transition, simply hopefully waiting for the next step.

Tomorrow begins my first travels of the summer. I am heading for Crestview Hills, Kentucky for a Sisterchicks/Yada-yada reunion. Let's just say poor Brent for having to deal with all three of us at once. Then I'm heading to New York to celebrate my "baby" cousin, Alex, graduating from high school. Good times with the family! Eventually in July, I'll be heading to Canda! I'll be a week in Calgary and a week in Vancouver to serve with some great youth from Mountain View Baptist Church. That's just my way of saying be patient with me if I don't post something EVERY day. That's all from me for now...until next time...