I thought the mailbox was bad

There is a house being built right next door. Sometimes, it can be a real pain. Like this summer when my mailbox was run over by a cement truck. Or like today:

Just moments ago I was driving home thinking about how I was feeling like it was time to blog but couldn't really think of anything to write about. Well, I turned onto my street and noticed a large object in my yard. I wasn't completely shocked because anytime there is a slight breeze I get all kinds of trash in my yard and today there is much more than a slight breeze out there. As I got closer I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of a port-o-potty, turned over, in my yard.


I also enjoyed hearing the laughs of the construction crew next door when they realized I was actually taking a picture of the turned over toilet.

I suppose God wanted me to have something to blog about, or at least laugh at, so He sent an extra blustery day my way. And a port-o-potty.

Any ideas how to get rid of it?

That was easy!

A couple weeks ago I confessed how bad I am about entering grades into the online gradebook. I usually have to spend a couple hours the night they are due making sure everything is entered and posted. Well, I also mentioned that I was trying really hard this semester to stay on top of that task so that I wouldn't have to do it all at the last minute.

Tonight all my hard work paid off. I completely forgot that my grades had to be posted by midnight tonight until I sat down to watch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (I love this show) and it popped in my head! It's a miracle that I remembered at all! So, after the show I came to the computer and I am happy to report that it took approximately 9 minutes to log in and post all the grades for all my classes. I don't know what I was thinking before, this go around was so easy I think I'll keep up the trend! Why it has taken me two and half years to learn this, I have no idea! There's really no telling what I could do with about ten years experience! :)

They did it!

Last night was the big match-up of the #25 Baylor Bears and the #16 Texas A&M Aggies. The game wasn't on TV and I couldn't even figure out how to listen to it on the radio, so I had to watch the Gametracker on my computer. With about two minutes left Baylor had a 2-point lead that they let slip away.

This is how the game ended:


After the first overtime, this is what the score looked like:


This went on and on and I finally had to go to bed. The first thing I did when I got up this morning was run to the computer and check the score. Imagine my excitement when I saw that Baylor won!! They outlasted the Aggies through 5 overtimes! I am so excited to see something positive happen for this team! Now, we can focus on turning football around.

Sic'em Bears!

If you have been breathing for the last 3 years you've probably heard about the turmoil that was the Baylor Men's Basketball team. It was a regular soap opera; cheating, drugs, betrayal, and even murder! Except it was all real and it was very sad.

Well, it has been a long road but they are finally back on track. I just found out that for the first time in 39 years the Bears are sporting a national ranking. This week we're #25! Tomorrow night we have a good ol' fashion Battle of the Brazos when the Bears take on #16 Texas A&M. Sic'em Bears!

Also, because I know you're dying to know, the Baylor Women's basketball team is currently ranked #6 in the country and took down the Aggies just last week! It looks like it's going to be another great year for Baylor Basketball!

You gotta love holidays

I think I could really get used to going to school for two weeks and then having a day off. Having a holiday today has really made for an extra enjoyable weekend.

Friday night I got to hang out with my good friend Kristy. We played lots of Wii tennis in which she beat me lots of times.

Saturday was filled with basketball. Basketball has always been my favorite sport so it's fun to watch lots of it. I also got to spend some time with Reagan, which was a blast as always. The fact that these kids want to hang out with me is a great self-esteem boost.

Then last night I went to see 27 Dresses with Deneise (who should really start a blog) and Kristy. We went to the new movie tavern where you order real food. It was an interesting experience for sure. I think the hardest part for me was the fact that I couldn't actually see my food, because it was dark. It tasted like a hamburger but I guess I could have been eating anything. We ended the evening with lots more Wii fun. And Deneise made the scariest-looking Mii I think I've ever seen - The Neesinator.

Today I did a whole lot of nothing. I got all caught up on Grey's Anatomy and One Tree Hill. Both very important shows. Then tonight I went to dinner and did a little shopping with Haley and Abby. It was so great to see them again, it's been way too long! Here I am with the growing girl:


That about sums up my weekend. It's been long, eventful, and very enjoyable.

Scenes from the Wii

I received a Nintendo Wii for Christmas from my parents and it is one of my new favorite things. I seem to be spending the most time playing tennis and I know I have played more tennis in the last two weeks than I have in my entire life. It's fun to play, fun to watch, and apparently I've got some nice moves.

The Wii Sports game has a Fitness Test that gives you an age based on how well you play. The first several days I, embarrassingly enough, had a fitness age in the 60s. Not anymore, my friends. Last week, this was my age:

And tonight, I was 21!

Here are some more Wii Accomplishments:

Alex bowling a perfect game

Earning all 10's on Dancing with the Stars
And no, I'm not in the habit of taking pictures of my TV screen, but I didn't think anyone would believe me if I didn't have proof! :)

Is it wrong to laugh?

Sometimes people are just different. And, sometimes people are so different that it's hard not to laugh, even though that's certainly the wrong thing to do. But what happens when those very strange and different people get themselves put on TV on one of the most watched shows in America? Is it wrong to laugh at them?

I just finished watching the tail end of American Idol and my goodness, they had some interesting people try out this year. I came away with this thought: I hope my friends and family would love me enough to tell me that I should most certainly NOT try out for this show, no matter how badly I wanted to.

Sometimes I get too excited

Now that I have this cool-looking blog I can't think of anything to write about. Something pretty funny did happen at school this week and I thought I would share.

My favorite subject to teach is Social Studies, I've discovered that I'm kind of a history nerd. In fourth grade we teach all about Texas, and it's kind of ironic that I love teaching about a place that I was determined I was going to hate when I first arrived about 18 years ago. Nonetheless, the history of Texas is exciting, unique, and continues to have an impact on life as we know it.

On Tuesday, I introduced the kids to the American Revolution (as a way to lay the foundation for what was to come for Texas). We talked about the Intolerable Acts, the Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party. I was very into what we were talking about. The kids were totally engaged and we were rolling right along. I like to read out of the book and then stop and explain in my own words, this is usually when I get really excited and animated in my talking.

So, I just finished telling my version of what ever it was we had read and we were going back to the book to see what happened next.

This is what the book said: The fighting began...

This is what I said: The farting began...

Much laughter and rolling on the floor ensued. I often find myself getting overly excited and mis-speak a lot, but I think that this is by far the funniest example yet!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Wait! You are in the right place! You're in the right place if you were looking for the blog formerly known as, "I've been thinking," that is. As you can probably tell, this little ol' blog has gone through some major changes. I was getting a little bored with the old look and thought it was time for some updating.

While I wish that I could take credit for creating this great new design, I can't. My new header and blog design was made possible by these people. The whole process was incredibly easy. I just chose a header that I liked and then they customized the text and made it look all cute! In addition to being simple, it was a great deal. You should definitely go check out their other work and then have them design something for you!


So, what do you think of the new look?

A Welcome and Some Confessions

First of all, I've got to say, "Welcome to the Blog World, Sherry. We're all so glad you're here!" Seriously, she's funny and I'm sure she will have plenty of good stuff to say on her new blog . You should check it out!

Now, on to some confessions:

Hi, my name is Emily, and I'm a procrastinator. The only thing that I really don't enjoy about my job is the paperwork. I have, on average, anywhere between 60 and 120 papers to grade per day. Most of the time I'm pretty good about getting things graded and entered into the online gradebook. Something happens to me though the week before the end of a Six Weeks. I just can't bring myself to grade anymore. Well, the Six Weeks will end and I will find myself with tons of papers to grade and enter, and a deadline. And it never fails, I'm usually entering my last grades right up until the last minute. Well, tonight was no different. The only bad thing is I just had two entire weeks to get those grades done. Two weeks where most days I was absolutely bored. I did make a "New Year's Resolution," that I'm not going to claim (because I said I wasn't going to make any resolutions), to grade all papers and enter them THE day they are turned in. So far, I'm 2 for 2.

Hi, my name is Emily, and I have a drinking problem. No, not that kind of drinking problem. I love Diet Coke. I could drink it all day long and I sort of wish it came out of the faucet. Anyway, I made another "New Year's Resolution," to not drink Diet Coke for awhile. I haven't really put a specified amount of time on it, I just know that for awhile, water is the way to go. I had my last Diet Coke last Tuesday. I hadn't touched the stuff all week, until tonight. I didn't even really want it either, but it was offered and I took it. And, I feel really guilty about it. Tomorrow's a new day.

Hi, my name is Emily, and I write too much. Somehow my posts always turn out way longer than I intended! Thanks for hanging in there! :)

How Did I Get Here?

Today was the first day back at school after two weeks off. I got there early because I was pretty sure I left in a hurry and knew that I would probably find things not quite conducive to the first day back. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in my classroom and my desk was clear, the counter was clear, and all the lunch tags were ready to go. If I have anything, it's a terrible memory. So, as I sat there with nothing to do for a few minutes my mind went into deep thinking mode and I began to think about what brought me here, to that classroom, in that school, as a teacher. It's been a crazy journey for sure, one that I am positive I have had very little to do with.

When I started college way back in the Fall of 2000 I was 100% certain that I was going to be a Finance major and in four years find myself working very closely with the stock market. The stock market has fascinated me ever since my Grandpa gave me two shares of Black and Decker stock when I was a kid. It seemed like doing something I enjoyed was the way to go. I took lots of business classes my first semester and liked them, I just felt like I had had an awakening to the idea that maybe I should pour my life into something a little more intrisically rewarding than making lots of money with other people's money. After much thought, I changed my major one semester in to Elementary Education.

The Spring of 2001 was great. The Fall of 2001, not so great. During this semester, I had my first "field experience" where we went into an actual elementary school and worked with a small group of students. My small group was made up of third graders. I don't know what the deal was but they ate my lunch. I dreaded going to work with those kids and soon felt like perhaps it was the still, small voice of God telling me I had made a mistake and teaching wasn't for me. After much more thought, I changed my major back to Finance. I had decided that while I felt strongly that I was to use my life to make a difference in the lives of children, it wasn't going to be in the classroom setting.

I managed, somehow, to make it out of college in four years with a BBA in Finance. I was really quite proud of myself. I even landed a good job before graduation. All the pieces were falling neatly into place. About six months after graduation I began to get restless. I learned a great deal about working hard, customer service, and most importantly-myself. I also knew that my desire to work with kids wasn't going away. Around March of 2005 I decided to pursue alternative certification and give teaching another try. In May, exactly one year from my first day, I resigned from my job and began applying to every school district I could think of. I had little hope of being hired at a good school because well, I didn't have a teaching degree, I didn't have any teaching experience, and sometimes the words "alternative certification" get you an automatic no. I got a total of 3 interviews. My first was at a charter school downtown that I think has something to do with juvenile criminals. My second, was at a school that I knew was way out of my league the second I drove up and saw the "Exemplary" banner hanging proudly. I loved the school and the people and left with gratitude for at least having some good interview experience. My third interview was at the middle school in the same district as the second school. It went well, but I already had my heart set on the second school.

A couple weeks went by and I got a call from the principal of the second school asking me to come back for a second interview. I couldn't believe it. To make a long story a little shorter, this school took a big chance on me and that is where I sat this morning, reflecting on all the ways God has directed me, blessed me, and taught me. It has been a wild ride, one that is better than anything I ever could have dreamed up for myself. I think that's how I know God's been all over it, and I wouldn't trade that for all the money in the world.

And Then There Was One

One day left of Christmas break that is. It has been a great break. I have slept a lot, watched a lot of movies, played lots and lots of Wii Tennis, and enjoyed lots of time with family and friends. It went by quickly, but I think I'm ready to get back to work and see what 2008 has in store.

Instead of making lots of New Year's Resolutions that I won't be able to stick to, I'm choosing instead to focus on this:

"God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him."
~ John Piper
This year I want to live, and breathe, and do with this thought in mind.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
Besides you I desire nothing on earth.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever!
Psalm 73:25-26
Now that I think about it, making a list of resolutions may have been easier! :) Just kidding!